Lee invites China's Xi Jinping to APEC summit during first talks

Good evening.

We begin with President Lee Jae-myung's first conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping since taking office. The two leaders agreed to build up Seoul-Beijing relations.

Our top office correspondent Yoon Jung-min reports.

During his first, half-hour phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Lee Jae-myung invited him to South Korea for the upcoming APEC summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju this November.

If he does attend, it'll be Xi's first visit to the country in 11 years.

Tuesday's conversation was "friendly and amicable" says Lee's spokesperson, where Xi congratulated Lee on winning the election and the two leaders shared similarities in their political career.

Their focus was on building a "new" bilateral relationship, bolstering cooperation in areas that could practically help the lives of the people in both countries.

"President Lee expressed hope that South Korea and China will actively promote exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including the economy, security, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, based on the spirit of mutual benefit and equality."

Also discussed was North Korea, where Lee asked Xi to play a constructive role for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and Xi responded by saying Beijing will make efforts, saying peace and stability fit into their mutual interests.

It's been a week since Lee took office, during which he exchanged greetings and held "get-to-know" sessions with the leaders of some major countries, first with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, followed by Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Then came talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"President Lee, during his the presidential campaign, said that ROK-U.S. alliance is the most top priority and then he also put lots of emphasis on the relationship with Japan. Of course, he mentioned that South Korea-U.S.-Japan, the trilateral cooperation is important. So he's simply implementing what he has pledged."

The series of talks comes as the newly inaugurated Korean leader prepares for his debut on the multilateral summit stage next week in Canada, where the G7 leaders are set to meet, where sideline summits are possible with Trump and Ishiba.

"All seven countries share the same value that this liberal democratic country and they also have the same goal to balancing against China. To participate this G7 meeting, even though we are not a member of G7, but as the observer, it's can deliver the very significant message to China."

The upcoming diplomatic stage is also widely seen as a litmus test of how the new Korean President will navigate diplomacy, both with the U.S. and China in mind, as he puts forth "pragmatic diplomacy."

This, as Korea also makes its comeback on the diplomatic stage official after a six-month absence following the impeachment of its former leader.

Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.