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Foreign minister extends invitation for Chinese President Xi to attend APEC summit

Published: 17 Sep. 2025, 21:18 Updated: 18 Sep. 2025, 08:41

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, left, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a meeting in Beijing, China, on Sept. 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

BEIJING, CHINA — Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday proposed that Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and visit South Korea during his trip, to mark what could potentially be Xi’s first visit to the country in 11 years.

The invitation, extended during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, appears to be an effort to upgrade the trip to a state visit rather than a working visit tied only to a multilateral summit.

The two diplomats met at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Wang emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral ties.

“After President Lee Jae Myung’s inauguration, he and President Xi agreed in their phone call to advance the Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level,” Wang said in his opening remarks.

“The two countries must stay true to the spirit of diplomatic normalization, remain committed to good-neighborly friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation and become a genuine strategic cooperative partnership,” he said.

Wang also expressed condolences for the late police officer Lee Jae-seok, who died while rescuing a Chinese national stranded on tidal flats last week.

“Chinese media covered this story extensively and positively,” Wang said, adding that more such stories should be shared to “improve mutual understanding and foster goodwill between our peoples.”

He further called for Seoul’s support of Xi’s Global Governance Initiative, which he introduced at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit earlier this month in Tianjin.

“The international community, including Korea, must uphold the UN-centered international system and push the global order to develop in a fairer and more reasonable direction,” Wang said.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for talks at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Sept. 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Cho echoed Wang’s remarks in his own opening statement.

“President Lee and President Xi agreed to further deepen and develop bilateral relations,” he said.

“There have been many touching moments between our two countries. I hope we can continue to foster positive feelings between our peoples so that bilateral ties improve further," he said.

Cho also noted the symbolic significance of China hosting next year’s APEC summit following Korea.

“I hope this will serve as an opportunity to bring Korea and China closer,” he said, adding, “I hope President Xi will attend the APEC summit and also visit Korea.”

Xi attended the 2023 APEC summit in San Francisco and the 2019 Group of 20 summit in Osaka in a working capacity, but visited Kazakhstan last year on a state visit to attend the 2024 Astana SCO summit.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, fourth from right, holds talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, not pictured in this photo, at Beijing on Sept. 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The meeting between Cho and Wang, which included a dinner, also touched on North Korea and maritime structures in the Yellow Sea.

Before departing for Beijing, Cho said he would press China to play a constructive role toward North Korea and seek an explanation for why denuclearization was not mentioned in the recent summit between Xi and Kim Jong-un on Sept. 4. He also said he would raise the issue of Chinese structures in the Yellow Sea and work toward a swift resolution.

On Tuesday, China's state-run Global Times ran an editorial stressing that APEC provides a platform for deepening South Korea-China cooperation on a global level. It urged both countries to oppose protectionism and decoupling and to contribute to regional economic growth.

Analysts see this as an effort to use APEC to revitalize bilateral cooperation amid difficulties in South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN KYUNG-JIN [[email protected]]