Asia-Pacific

China’s Xi Reportedly Welcomes Idea of Summit with Japan and South Korea

Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Saturday.

By Miho Tamura and Kazuki Koike / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondents

12:56 JST, September 24, 2023

HAGZHOU, China / SEOUL — Chinese President Xi Jinping has welcomed the idea of holding a trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea “at an appropriate time,” according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

Xi reportedly made the comments when he met with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was visiting China for the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Han reportedly told Xi that he hopes for mature relations to develop between South Korea and China, and also mentioned North Korea’s military provocations. North Korea is strengthening its ties with Russia, and Han is apparently aiming at keeping North Korea in check by enhancing its relations with China which has strong influence over both North Korea and Russia.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi indicated that China will further open its huge market, and said he would like to “deepen close economic ties and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and South Korea.”