Lee holds meeting with Premier Li Qiang, aims for 'full restoration' of Korea-China relations
Published: 06 Jan. 2026, 15:15
Updated: 06 Jan. 2026, 18:56
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- SARAH KIM
- [email protected]
![South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, second from left, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang hold a luncheon meeting in Beijing on Jan. 6. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/06/2f1b24b4-9e33-414d-a4e1-fb896fe8d24f.jpg)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, second from left, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang hold a luncheon meeting in Beijing on Jan. 6. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
BEIJING — Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese Premier Li Qiang discussed developing a new model of economic cooperation to reflect changing times and move toward a path of mutual benefit during a luncheon meeting in Beijing.
"I hope that our two countries will expand horizontal and mutually beneficial cooperation in line with changing times, promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region and move forward together on a path of pragmatism and mutual prosperity," Lee said in the meeting, which follows his bilateral summit with President Xi Jinping the previous day.
Premier Li oversees the State Council, China's executive branch, and is the No. 2 ranking official in the Chinese government. Due to his role as China's "economic command center," expanding economic and cultural cooperation between Korea and China was expected to be a major topic of discussion.
Lee noted that the premier, while overseeing China's economy, is also responsible for ensuring the stability of people's livelihoods. He added that Li, as China's representative for the South Korea-China-Japan summit, also contributes to the foundation for peace and cooperation in the region. China is traditionally represented by its premier in these trilateral talks.
"I expect you to continue to play a significant role in developing Korea-China relations based on people's livelihoods and peace," Lee said.
Lee also told the premier that he aims to "mark this year as the first year of a full restoration of Korea-China relations and solidify our development as an irreversible trend of the times."
He recalled that there's a saying in Korea that, "The older the friend, the better, and the newer the clothes, the better."
Premier Li said that based on the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, bilateral relations are moving toward a new stage, adding that as both sides continue to advance cooperation across various fields, greater benefits are set to come to the peoples of both countries.
He said that the Lee-Xi summit "provided concrete guidance on deepening and developing the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership, bringing strong momentum toward this effort."
Li stressed that "China has consistently placed a high priority on relations with Korea" and on friendly bilateral relations. He added that Beijing is always "willing to strengthen strategic communication, solidify political mutual trust and expand the scope and depth of cooperation to achieve more tangible results."
The president and premier agreed to build a new "virtuous cycle" economic model based on horizontal and reciprocal cooperation, the Blue House said in a statement. The two acknowledged the coexistence of both competition and cooperation between Korean and Chinese companies in the global market.
They agreed to foster good-faith competition and create environments to boost mutual investment in new industries such as the digital economy, biotechnology and eco-friendly sectors.
This marks the two leaders' third meeting having previously met at the Asean gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October last year and at the G20 summit held in South Africa in November.
![Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, head into their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 6. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/06/9b7c11ba-1d60-4a93-9c97-95e523b63fe5.jpg)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, head into their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 6. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Earlier Tuesday, Lee met with Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, the equivalent of Korea's National Assembly speaker, and discussed ways to enhance goodwill and mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries. Zhao serves as China's No. 3 in ranking as head of the country's unicameral legislature.
Zhao highlighted that "a healthy, stable and continuously deepening relationship between our countries serves the interests of both peoples and is conducive to the peace, stability, development and prosperity of the region and the world."
He said that under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Lee, bilateral relations "have returned to a normal track and entered a new phase."
Zhao noted that the bilateral summit on Monday "provided direction for the next stage of development and drew a new blueprint for our future."
He added that the Chinese side intends to work with the Korean side to "faithfully implement" the important common understandings reached by our leaders, strengthen communication and coordination and deepen cooperation in various fields.
"Through a series of meetings with key Chinese leaders, President Lee discussed specific measures to maturely develop the 'Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership' based on a shared understanding of political trust and friendship, people's livelihoods and peace," Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a statement.
In his talks with Zhao, Lee emphasized the need to expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges to enhance mutual understanding and friendship, and requested careful consideration be given to lending to Korea an additional pair of giant pandas, Kang said in a statement.
Lee wrapped a three-day visit to Beijing, where he held a bilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and appeared at a business forum attended by the heads of Korea's four top conglomerates Monday.
![President Lee Jae Myung, left, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, right, pose for a photo with children presenting flowers upon their arrival at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Jan. 6, the final stop of Lee’s two-city, four-day state visit to China. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/06/8ee38111-5b48-4600-a664-f0ed76b30748.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, left, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, right, pose for a photo with children presenting flowers upon their arrival at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Jan. 6, the final stop of Lee’s two-city, four-day state visit to China. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Later Tuesday, Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, who kicked off a four-day state visit to China Sunday, headed to Shanghai for the second leg of their two-city trip.
On Wednesday, Lee will visit the historic provisional government building, which served as the Korean government's headquarters from 1926 to 1932, to mark its 100th anniversary. This year commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Korean independence activist Kim Koo, who served as the first head of the Korean provisional government in exile in Shanghai during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.
During his summit with Xi on Monday, Lee highlighted the deep historical roots between the two countries, noting that "for thousands of years, our two nations have maintained friendly relations as neighbors, and during times when our national sovereignty was lost, we joined hands and fought together to restore it."
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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