CCP newspaper's prominent placement of Lee-Xi summit coverage signals warmer ties
Published: 06 Jan. 2026, 16:13
Updated: 06 Jan. 2026, 16:26
![The Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily, places coverage of the Korea-China summit held Jan. 5 directly beneath the masthead on its Jan. 6 front page. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/06/18a6c597-c451-41ba-87ee-6d2c4647fc66.jpg)
The Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily, places coverage of the Korea-China summit held Jan. 5 directly beneath the masthead on its Jan. 6 front page. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
The Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, the People’s Daily, prominently placed news of the summit between Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday directly beneath the masthead on the front page of its Tuesday edition.
The layout marked a departure from past practice. From former President Kim Dae-jung’s state visit in November 1998 to former President Moon Jae-in’s visit in December 2017, summit meetings held during Korean presidents’ state visits to China were consistently placed on the right side of the front page.
The placement also differed from the paper’s treatment of the Korea-China summit held in Gyeongju on Nov. 1, 2025, which was positioned at the lower right of the front page. On that occasion, Xi had made his first state visit to Korea in 11 years as part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
The People’s Daily’s latest presentation is on par with how it covered a recent North Korea–China summit involving North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Kim visited China on Sept. 3, 2025, to attend a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
In previous cases, the People’s Daily placed state visits by South Korean presidents — Roh Moo-hyun in 2003, Lee Myung-bak in 2008, Park Geun-hye in 2013 and Moon in 2017 — on the front page once during each administration, typically featuring a single photo of an honor guard inspection accompanied by a Xinhua News Agency dispatch.
![Front pages of the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily, carrying coverage of Korea-China summits from 1998, right, to 2017. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/06/1fa6872b-d196-403e-b9cd-affc745e5048.jpg)
Front pages of the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, People’s Daily, carrying coverage of Korea-China summits from 1998, right, to 2017. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
For President Lee, however, the newspaper ran two photos: a commemorative image of President Lee and the first lady with Xi in front of the north gate of the Great Hall of the People, and another showing the two leaders waving to children presenting flowers after inspecting the honor guard.
The editorial shift is widely interpreted as an intentional signal of China’s desire to draw South Korea closer amid intensifying strategic competition with the United States and prolonged tensions surrounding Japan and Taiwan.
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]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)