hankyoreh

President Xi Jinping of China shakes hands with President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea ahead of their summit at the Gyeongju National Museum in North Gyeongsang Province on Oct. 29, 2025. (Yonhap)

Chinese President Xi Jinping invited South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to visit China in April of next year, the Hankyoreh has learned. 

The two leaders met for their first summit on Saturday, where they took the first step in improving bilateral relations. Focus is now shifting to whether their meeting in China will open the door to cooperation not only on Korean Peninsula issues but on sensitive national security issues. 

“Xi invited Lee to visit China during their recent summit,” a diplomatic source familiar with South Korea-China relations said during a phone call with the Hankyoreh on Tuesday.

“China has two important political events in March 2026, and Lee’s visit seems to have been timed to happen after those events,” the insider said. The events in reference are the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. 

The 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit is scheduled to be held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, in November. If Lee visits China in April, he will be able to visit China twice next year. 

US President Donald Trump is also scheduled to visit China in April, which could present a major variable in Korean Peninsula affairs. 

It’s likely that the subject of South Korea pursuing nuclear-powered submarines will be a major topic of discussion between Xi and Lee. During Xi’s meeting with Lee in Korea, when the latter explained that the nuclear submarines that South Korea is pursuing are a defensive response to North Korea’s declaration that it already possesses nuclear submarines, and that the submarines are not armed with nuclear weapons, Xi reportedly responded curtly by saying, “Noted.”

Kang Hoon-sik, Lee’s chief of staff, said on Monday that Lee had “persuaded” Xi to see Korea’s position. 

However, in a statement issued by China after the summit, Xi said that the two sides should “accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns.”

This is in alignment with the stance made official by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which called for the US and South Korea to live up to their commitment to nuclear nonproliferation and contribute to regional peace and stability while noting South Korea’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines as a major concern, indicating that Beijing will adjust its response according to how things progress. 

According to those with knowledge of diplomatic affairs, Xi held off on confirming whether he’d visit South Korea ahead of the APEC summit, which was his first visit in 11 years, because of his stringent demands for South Korea to crack down on anti-China demonstrations.

After Lee called the anti-China protests “rabble-rousing,” dismissing defenses of the rallies as freedom of speech, he then relayed his comments to China through diplomatic channels and communicated his determination to rebuild Seoul-Beijing relations. Only then did Beijing reportedly offer a confirmation of Xi’s visit. 

Regarding the cancellation of a reservation at The Shilla hotel by the Chinese Embassy, sources said the reason was because of Trump’s decision not to stop in Seoul and go directly to Busan for a summit with Xi.

By Park Min-hee, senior staff writer

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]