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South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping meet in Beijing on Monday. Photo: AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping ‘almost certain’ to visit South Korea in first half of 2020

  • Moon Jae-in extended invitation during summit with China’s leader in Beijing on Monday
  • It comes amid improving relations between the two northeast Asian neighbours
Xi Jinping

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is “almost certain” to visit South Korea in the first half of 2020, the Yonhap news agency quoted a presidential official as saying on Wednesday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in extended the invitation to his Chinese counterpart during their summit in Beijing on Monday, on the first day of Moon’s visit to China for a regular three-day meeting between the leaders of the two countries and Japan.

The announcement comes as further proof of a thaw in relations between Seoul and Beijing, which have been chilly since the latter’s decision to host the US-made THAAD missile shield system in 2017.

The three northeast Asian neighbours pledged to work together to achieve peaceful denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula during tripartite talks in southwest China’s Chengdu.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Moon also said they would accelerate the conclusion of a three-way free-trade agreement and sign the wider Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement and bring it into force in the new year.
(From left) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe head for a photo session during their trilateral summit in Chengdu on Tuesday. Photo: Kyodo

Xi earlier accepted an invitation from Abe to come to Japan on a state visit in the spring.

“Relations between Japan and China are steadily improving,” Abe said at the outset of his meeting with Li in the Sichuan provincial capital, according to Japan’s Kyodo News. 

Abe added that he hoped that he and Xi could “candidly exchange views” to ensure the success of his forthcoming visit. 

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