Beijing: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's approach to the Taiwan issue during his first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was noticeably more ambiguous compared to his predecessor Yoon Suk-yeol's clear stance, an expert told CNA on Monday. Chun Kalim, an expert in cross-strait relations at Hoseo University, highlighted that Lee expressed South Korea's "respect" for China's "one China" policy, which asserts Taiwan as an "inalienable part" of China.

According to Focus Taiwan, Yoon had previously provoked responses from Beijing by advocating for any Taiwan-related conflicts to be resolved under "international norms and rules," and by opposing unilateral changes to the status quo. Chun noted that the discussions between Xi and Lee, marking the first visit by a South Korean president to China since 2019, were largely centered around resolving bilateral disputes, intentionally avoiding issues involving third parties.

Furthermore, Xi did not address the recent tensions between Beijing and Tokyo, which were stirred by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks suggesting a potential response from Tokyo to any Chinese military action against Taiwan. Instead, Xi urged Seoul to "firmly stand on the right side of history" and to "make correct strategic choices," though Lee did not provide a definitive response, only briefly referencing Japan's colonial past and the shared resistance of Korea and China to Japanese militarism.

According to South Korea's state-run Yonhap news agency, Lee and Xi reached a consensus on the importance of resuming dialogue with North Korea and exploring measures to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula during their 90-minute meeting. Meanwhile, the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that both leaders agreed to enhance their bilateral strategic partnership, promote practical cooperation, and strengthen multilateral coordination.