President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea navigated a series of sensitive economic and military issues during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, including the fallout from the THAAD missile system and new sanctions.
Lee raised the issue of China’s effective ban on South Korean entertainment, a punitive measure in place since the 2017 deployment of the U.S.-led THAAD missile defense system. An official said the two sides agreed to continue communicating on the need for cultural exchanges.
Lee also brought up Chinese sanctions on U.S.-linked units of the South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean. A national security adviser described the discussion as “productive.”
These friction points were addressed even as Lee sought Xi’s help in restarting dialogue with North Korea, a request that was promptly rejected by Pyongyang as a “pipe dream.”
Despite the disagreements, Xi’s visit—his first in 11 years—was also marked by cooperation. The leaders signed seven agreements, including a currency swap, and Xi called for partnership in AI and green industries. The visit also sparked anti-China protests in Seoul.
30