China's Xi urges South Korea's Lee to protect free trade in first talks
New South Korean President Lee Jae-myung held his first talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the official Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday, as Lee looks to balance ties between Beijing and Seoul's ally, Washington.
Xi told Lee that China and South Korea should work to take their strategic cooperative partnership 'to a higher level' amid rising concerns over the future of global free trade, Xinhua said Xi had told Lee during talks over the telephone.
'China and South Korea should inject more certainty into (the) regional and international landscape,' Xi was quoted as saying, adding that the two countries 'should jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, and ensure stable and smooth global and regional industrial and supply chains.'
Xi's remarks were widely seen as a jab at U.S. President Donald Trump, who has targeted multilateral groupings with fiery criticism while also unleashing unilateral tariffs on countries across the globe, including allies like South Korea and rivals such as China.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping waves to spectators as he leaves after a military parade on Victory Day, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, in Red Square in central Moscow on May 9. |
REUTERS
Lee took office on June 4 with a vow to end the 'politics of division' and carry out a 'pragmatic' approach to foreign policy after riding a wave of anxiety about the economy and political instability to victory in an election a day earlier.
In a speech following his swearing in, Lee called for dialogue with archenemy North Korea, while stressing South Korea's commitment to its security alliance with the U.S. and growing ties with Japan. But any mention of China — South Korea's largest trading partner — was conspicuously absent.
Lee's election came exactly six months after his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, briefly declared martial law — a move that ultimately saw him removed from office. During his time in office, Yoon openly antagonized Beijing and worked to align South Korea with Washington in the growing Sino-U.S. rivalry.
In the run-up to his election, Lee pledged to mend relations with China to help spur economic growth.
The Xi-Lee call came a day after the South Korean leader and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed during a telephone call to strengthen bilateral ties amid concerns that relations between Seoul and Tokyo could falter under Lee, who has a history of hard-line remarks aimed at Japan.
Lee's first leader-to-leader call was with Trump last week, with the two agreeing to work toward a swift tariff deal. In addition to the tariffs, Trump has also pressed South Korea to pay more for the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there.
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