President's visit opens new prospects in Sino-ROK relationship

President Xi Jinping's state visit to the Republic of Korea, the first in 11 years, marks a new milestone in bilateral relations, injecting fresh momentum into efforts to advance the strategic cooperative partnership and contributing to regional peace and prosperity, observers said.

When holding bilateral talks with ROK President Lee Jae-myung on Saturday, Xi described the two nations as "close neighbors that cannot be moved away, and cooperation partners that cannot be separated", saying that China values its ties with the ROK and maintains "continuity and stability" in its policy toward the country.

Facts have proved that promoting the sound and steady development of China-ROK relations is always the right choice that serves the fundamental interests of both peoples and aligns with the trend of the times, Xi said.

He offered four proposals for "opening up new prospects" for bilateral ties — strengthening strategic communication and mutual trust, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthening friendship between the peoples, and enhancing coordination in multilateral forums.

The two sides should "respect each other's social systems and development paths, accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and properly handle differences and disagreements through friendly consultation", he added.

"To help one's neighbor succeed is to help oneself," Xi said, calling for the acceleration of the second phase of negotiations on the China-ROK Free Trade Agreement and for fully tapping cooperation potential in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, green industries and the silver economy, which involves activities related to the elderly population.

Lee said Xi's visit carries great significance for the future of bilateral relations. The ROK attaches high importance to its ties with China and stands ready to maintain close high-level exchanges, enhance mutually beneficial cooperation, keep industrial and supply chains stable, and strengthen people-to-people bonds, he noted.

Lee also reaffirmed Seoul's support for China in hosting the 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and the ROK have overcome ideological and institutional differences, promoting exchanges and cooperation across multiple sectors and achieving mutual success and common development.

Experts said both sides should stay true to the original aspiration behind establishing diplomatic ties, understand each other objectively amid shifting global dynamics, and expand shared interests.

"The visit comes at a crucial juncture and carries significant strategic importance," said Wang Junsheng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy. "Bilateral relations hit a low point under the previous ROK administration's values-based diplomacy. Since President Lee took office in June, the relationship has gradually improved."

The new ROK government said earlier that it would manage ties with neighboring countries based on national interests and pragmatism and develop relations with China and other major countries in parallel.

Mutual trust is the cornerstone of stable relations, Wang emphasized. "China and the ROK should maintain close strategic communication, show mutual respect and seek common ground while reserving differences," he said. "Disagreements should never be allowed to hinder cooperation."

Zhan Debin, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Studies at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, said, "While competition has increased in some areas, the two countries still share broad space for cooperation and mutual benefit."

China has been the ROK's largest trading partner for 21 consecutive years, while the ROK remains China's second-largest trading partner. In 2024, bilateral trade reached $328.08 billion, up 5.6 percent year-on-year. Beijing and Seoul also introduced visa facilitation measures in November 2024 and September 2025, respectively, injecting new vitality into people-to-people exchanges.

"The ROK should uphold the spirit of good-neighborliness and maintain strategic autonomy to resist external interference," Zhan said. At a time when unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, the two countries should jointly oppose bullying practices and moves toward decoupling and supply chain disruptions, he added.

Given the emergence of some negative and misleading perceptions of China in the ROK, Zhan said Seoul should strengthen public communication, deliver more balanced and constructive messages, and curb negative narratives to foster a favorable atmosphere for the sound and stable development of bilateral ties.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn