South Korea’s President Lee to pay 4-day state visit to China

South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung will pay a four-day state visit to China later this week, Beijing announced on Tuesday.

The visit, set to begin Sunday, is taking place at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said.

It will be Lee's first visit to China after being elected to office in June this year.

The visit will play an "active role in advancing" China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.

Beijing and Seoul "are important neighbors and cooperative partners," Lin said.

Lee's trip comes after Chinese President Xi paid a three-day state visit to South Korea between October and November when he also attended the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

It was Xi's first trip to South Korea in 11 years. He had last visited the country in 2014.

China and South Korea formally established diplomatic relations in August 1992. The trade volume between South Korea and China reached $267.6 billion in 2024.