South Korea's Lee, China's Xi set for summit talks, with Seoul saying denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula on agenda

Gyeongju, Nov 1 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold their first summit talks on Saturday, with Seoul saying the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is on the agenda.

The two leaders will meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, marking Xi's first visit to South Korea in 11 years.

The talks come as Seoul strives to maintain a careful balance by improving ties with China, its largest trading partner and a traditional ally of North Korea, while keeping close alignment with the United States amid deepening great-power competition.

South Korean Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said on Friday that the summit agenda will include discussions on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, regional peace and stability, and economic issues affecting people's livelihoods.

Under his "pragmatic diplomacy," Lee has pledged to pursue a more balanced and forward-looking framework for Seoul-Beijing relations, while emphasising China's importance as a regional partner, and its role in supporting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, Yonhap news agency reported.

Lee is expected to ask Beijing to play a constructive role in advancing peace efforts as Seoul works to ease inter-Korean tensions and revive denuclearization talks stalled since 2019.

Pyongyang has so far snubbed Lee's offers of dialogue and did not respond to US President Donald Trump's outreach for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to South Korea.

Economic cooperation is also expected to feature prominently on the agenda.

Tensions have flared after Beijing last month announced retaliatory measures against five US subsidiaries of Hanwha Ocean, accusing them of cooperating with a US investigation targeting China's maritime and shipbuilding industries.

The move raised concerns in Seoul, as the affected companies are expected to play a key role in helping the US rebuild its shipbuilding sector under a trade agreement reached between Seoul and Washington.

Saturday's talks follow Lee's summit with Trump on Wednesday, which resulted in the conclusion of a trade deal to lower US tariffs and led to US approval for nuclear fuel to be used in South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine project.

--IANS

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