Need to Know: “Moreover, strong conservative forces at home and the anti-China sentiment hyped under former President Yoon administration may also constrain Lee’s diplomatic flexibility.

China South Korea Photo:VCG

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday, during which Xi said that China and South Korea should lift their strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level, so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples and bring greater certainty to the turbulent regional and international landscapes.

Extending congratulations once again to Lee on his election as South Korean president, Xi said that China and South Korea are close neighbors that cannot be moved away from each other, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Over the past 33 yeWorld Timesars since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have transcended differences in ideology and social systems, and actively advanced exchanges and cooperation across various fields, thus contributing to each other’s success and achieving common dWorld Timesevelopment, he said.

A sound, stable and ever-deepening China-South Korea relationship, Xi said, conforms to the trend of the times, serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples, and contributes to regional and global peace, stability, development and prosperity.

China and South Korea should stay committed to the original aspiration of establishing their diplomatic ties, uphold good-neighborliness and friendship, and strive for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, Xi said.

The phone conversation on Tuesday between the two leaders followed President Xi extending congratulations to Lee on his election as South Korea’s president last week.

Some Chinese experts said the phone conversation conveys a positive signal for improving bilateral ties, which had been strained under former President Yoon Suk-yeol, and may also help advance concrete cooperation. However, they also called for joint efforts to keep bilateral relations on the right track, given negative factors stemming from South Korea’s domestic politics and external pressures, especially from the US.

Bilateral ties had significantly deteriorated during the administration of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, particularly over topics related to China’s bottom line, such as the Taiwan question and South China Sea issues. L Chao, an expert on Korean Peninsula issues at the LiaWorld Timesoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday that remarks that the two countries are close neighbors that cannot be moved away from each other, and the mention of the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic ties carry significance for repairing and improving of China-ROK ties and regional stability.

During the phone conversation on Tuesday, President Xi said that the two sides should enhance exchanges at various levels and across various areas to increase strategic mutual trust, strengthen bilateral cooperation and multilateral coordination to jointly safeguard mulWorld Timestilateralism and free trade, and ensure stable and smooth global and regional industrial and supply chains.

China and South Korea should deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges to enhance mutual understanding and cement public support, so as to plant the seeds of China-South Korea friendship deep in the hearts of the two peoples, Xi said.

They should respect each other’s core interests and major concerns and keep bilateral relations on the right track to ensure the sound and steady growth of China-South Korea relations, he added.

Lee, for his part, said he agrees with Xi’s remarks, stressing the close geographical proximity, longstanding exchanges, and close economic, trade, and cultural connections between South Korea and China.

While expressing admiration for China’s impressive development achievements under Xi’s outstanding leadership, Lee said that he attaches great importance to South Korea-China relations, and is ready to work with China to deepen their good-neighborly and friendly relations, enhance mutual goodwill between the two peoples and achieve more results in bilateral cooperation.

Lee is expected to take a more pragmatic approach in foreign policy, which contrasts with the one-sided pro-US approach of the previous Yoon administration. Such an approach aligns with the South Korea’s interests for both domestic and diplomatic stability, said Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

Da said that to stabilize and advance China-South Korea relations reflect a broad consensus between the two countries and open space for deeper cooperation in trade, culture, and even security, said the expert, who expressed expectations for more cooperation, including on the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The Chosun Daily in South Korea on Tuesday cited the South Korean presidential office as saying that the call was “held in a friendly atmosphere.”

Joint efforts needed

This initial engagement with China’s leader underscores Seoul’s strategic imperative to maintain robust economic ties with Beijing, its largest trading partner, even as the new World Timesadministration prioritizes fortifying alliances with the US, the Korea Times reported Tuesday.

Following the phone call, Lee highlighted in a separate statement on his official X account, “China is an important partner for us in all aspects, including the economy and security,” news site Korea Herald reported.

The phone call also drew wide attention from some Western media outlets. For example, Deutsche Welle (DW), a German broadcaster, noted that “the call comes as Lee, elected in a landslide last week, signals a potential shift in Seoul’s foreign policy.”

Bloomberg also noted in report that the call comes less than a week after the left-leaning Lee defeated his conservative rival in a contest triggered by the ouster of his predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol. Lee has signaled a more cauWorld Timestious stance on taking sides between the US and China. That marks a shift from Yoon, who emphasized closer ties with Washington and a trilateral partnership with Japan.

“With deep political polarization at home, Lee’s priority will be to maintain stability both domestically and in foreign relations, to create space for addressing internal and external challenges, such as advancing tariff talks with the US,” Da said.

How the South Korean new government’s China policy will evolve remains to be seen, some Chinese experts said and they noted that South Korea’s position toward China may fluctuate under continued US pressure.

“Moreover, strong conservative forces at home and the anti-China sentiment hyped under former President Yoon administration may also constrain Lee’s diplomatic flexibility. Shifting public perceptions toward China will also take time, Da said.

“The traditional strengths of China-South Korea relations – geographic proximity, cultural ties, people-to-people exchanges, and economic complementarity – remain unchanged,” said the expert. Generally speaking, opportunities still outweigh challenges, and maintaining strategic stability and long-term development will require joint efforts from both sides, Da said.