Xi Jinping wants to reset relations with South Korea – China’s latest political and current affairs news

During a meeting with former South Korean prime minister Lee Hae-chan on May 18, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China is ready to work with South Korea to bring bilateral relations back on track, following months of tensions over the deployment of THAAD, a U.S. missile defense system that is intended to guard against threats from North Korea but that the Chinese government sees as a threat.

In Chinese state media reporting of Xi’s meeting with Lee, the Chinese president emphasized the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and said that China is willing to improve communication with the new government of South Korea on many issues.

Lee was dispatched by South Korea’s newly elected president, Moon Jae-in, to China in an attempt to keep communications open between the two countries “at a critical time.” State media Ecns.cn said that Lee affirmed that South Korea understood China’s major concerns and would cooperate with China to remove any obstacles that hinder the development of bilateral ties.

Since Moon Jae-in took office on May 10, signs have emerged that Beijing and Seoul are seeking to reconcile their differences and repair damaged relations caused by the THAAD dispute. Shortly after the election last week, Xi called the new South Korean leader to congratulate him on his victory. In return, Moon’s sending of Lee Hae-chan as a special envoy to China is another sign of both countries’ intentions to build bridges.

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