Latest news with #bilateralTies
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
S. Korea's Lee, Japan's Ishiba Vow to Boost Ties in First Call
South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held their first phone conversation and vowed to seek ways to deepen bilateral ties so both nations can respond together to future challenges. 'The two leaders agreed to build a more solid and mature South Korea-Japan relationship based on mutual respect, trust, and a responsible attitude,' Lee's office said in a readout Monday. The conversation lasted 25 minutes and marked their first direct contact since Lee's victory in a snap election last week.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
South Korea President Lee, Japan PM Ishiba agree to strengthen ties, Lee's office says
SEOUL, June 9 (Reuters) - South Korea's newly-elected President Lee Jae-myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed during a telephone call to strengthen bilateral ties, a South Korean presidential spokesperson said on Monday. The call comes after the two leaders have said they aim for the countries to continue coordination on North Korea issues. Lee, a left-leaning leader who was elected last week, has said pragmatism was key to his diplomacy and he would continue with security cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States. Lee told Ishiba that he wanted to deal with geopolitical crises within the framework of the three-way cooperation with Tokyo and Washington, Kang Yoo-jung, Lee's spokesperson, told reporters. Reaffirming the significance of bilateral ties, the two leaders agreed to meet in person to further develop the relations, Kang added.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Trump-Xi call: China hawk Rubio missing in action as leaders rekindle trade hopes
The conspicuous absence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio from preparations for the much-anticipated phone call between Chinese and US leaders – and from subsequent trade talk announcements – has raised questions about his influence in shaping bilateral ties. Advertisement US President Donald Trump on Thursday described his 90-minute conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping as 'very positive', and announced on his social media platform that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent , Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer would head future negotiations with China. Observers said the call, following a 90-day truce last month, rekindled hopes of cooling heightened US-China tensions over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals, placing trade talks as the most pressing and dominating issue for bilateral ties in the near future. They noted a shift in Washington's approach to China, driven largely by economic pragmatism and Trump's preference for personal deal-making, while some said it signalled Rubio's diminished role in US-China ties. In the past, direct engagements between US and Chinese leaders were usually preceded by groundwork involving China's top diplomats and their US counterparts, namely, the secretary of state or the national security adviser. Advertisement Regular face-to-face dialogue between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also Xi's top foreign policy aide, and former national security adviser Jake Sullivan and former US secretary of state Antony Blinken helped set the stage for Xi's multiple meetings and calls with Trump's predecessor Joe Biden.
CNA
4 days ago
- Business
- CNA
China seeks improved ties with Canada amid rising trade tensions
BEIJING: China called on Friday (Jun 6) for steps to improve bilateral ties with Canada, saying there were no deep-seated conflicts of interest, following a spike in trade tensions with many of Beijing's Western trade partners this year. China is willing to work with Canada to put ties on a healthy and stable path and find solutions to address each other's concerns through enhanced dialogue, Premier Li Qiang told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a phone call on Friday, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. "There is no fundamental conflict of interests between the two countries," Li said. Li's talks with Carney followed a highly anticipated phone call between United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, which Trump said led to "a very positive conclusion" and offered hope the trade war between the world's two largest economies might start to de-escalate. As the effects of trade frictions start to make their way into the already soft Chinese economy, Beijing has stepped up engagement with other countries to alleviate friction despite earlier retaliation. In March, Beijing announced tariffs on over US$2.6 billion worth of Canadian agricultural and food products in retaliation for Ottawa's levies on Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminium products introduced in October. Beijing has also launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola that is set to conclude in September. Canola, also known as rapeseed, was one of Canada's top exports to China, the world's No.1 agricultural importer, prior to Beijing's investigation. "The two governments should listen to and respond to the people's calls and do more to deepen the friendly cooperation and enhance mutual understanding and trust," Li told Carney. China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, trailing far behind the US. Canada exported US$47 billion worth of goods to the world's second-largest economy in 2024, according to Chinese customs data. Beijing is also willing to work with Canada to safeguard multilateralism and free trade, Li added. Beijing's olive branch to Ottawa also comes ahead of a Group of Seven summit of leaders in Canada in mid-June.
