by Xinhua writer Zhang Can
SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- After an interval of 11 years, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited South Korea at the invitation of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in late autumn, a trip widely seen as a key moment in revitalizing bilateral ties.
After attending the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in the historic city of Gyeongju, the two leaders had in-depth exchanges of views in a friendly atmosphere and reached a series of important consensuses on cooperation, including the reaffirmation of the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership.
Observers said the visit provided strategic guidance for stabilizing and revitalizing China-South Korea relations, injecting strong momentum into practical cooperation and laying a solid foundation for opening new prospects in bilateral ties.
SOLID GROUND
High-level communication between China and South Korea this year has laid a solid foundation for opening new chapters in bilateral relations.
During Xi's state visit, the South Korean side extended high-level hospitality. A welcoming ceremony for Xi was held at the Gyeongju National Museum, a venue rich in local cultural heritage, where the honor guard in traditional attire lined the route, escorting the Chinese leader to the venue for talks with Lee.
During his talks with Lee, Xi said China and South Korea are important neighbors that cannot be moved away and cooperation partners that cannot be separated. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 33 years ago, he noted, the two countries have actively advanced exchanges and cooperation across the board and achieved mutual success and common prosperity.
Lee underscored the great significance of Xi's state visit for bilateral relations. He said South Korea attaches great importance to its relations with China and stands ready to work with China to further advance the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.
The positive momentum had already been building earlier this year when Xi held a telephone conversation with Lee in June, stressing that a sound, stable, and ever-deepening China-South Korea relationship serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples and contributes to regional and global peace, stability, development, and prosperity.
While bilateral relations have faced challenges in recent years, observers noted that, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-South Korea relations stabilized in 2025.
Hwang Jae-ho, director of the Institute for Global Strategy and Cooperation, said that head-of-state diplomacy has provided clear direction for bilateral ties, enabling the two countries to transcend institutional differences and advance common development based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.
South Korean Ambassador to China Ro Jae-hun said Xi's successful state visit marked a new chapter in bilateral relations, adding that exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have strengthened mutual trust and laid a solid foundation for regional stability and prosperity.
EXPANDING COOPERATION
China and South Korea enjoy close geographic, cultural and economic ties. Practical cooperation between China and South Korea has been expanding.
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the first phase of the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement. According to China's General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade volume reached 298.9 billion U.S. dollars during the January-November period this year.
China has remained South Korea's largest trading partner for 21 consecutive years, while South Korea has regained its position as China's second-largest trading partner.
During his state visit to South Korea, Xi said that China is willing to work with South Korea based on the principle of mutual benefit and win-win results, accelerate the second phase of negotiations on the China-South Korea free trade agreement, and tap the cooperation potential in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals, green industries and the silver economy, so as to upgrade the quality of their economic and trade cooperation.
Choi Jae-duk, a professor at Seoul School of Integrated Sciences and Technologies, noted that the two countries have substantial complementary advantages in the digital economy and efforts to transition to a greener economy.
In South Korea's South Chungcheong province, a biomass power project developed by CGN Energy International Co. Ltd. has witnessed bilateral cooperation in green energy. With an installed capacity of 109 megawatts, the project is expected to generate about 764 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, saving roughly 310,000 tonnes of coal and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by around 760,000 tonnes.
The project supports South Korea's renewable energy goals while underscoring the growing depth of China-South Korea collaboration in the green industry.
Amid the warming of bilateral ties, South Korean beauty brands are once again eyeing China as a key market for long-term growth, with localization widely seen as essential for success in an increasingly competitive environment, South Korean media reported.
Yoon Do-son, CEO of CJ China, said that upgrading China-South Korea cooperation would benefit bilateral ties as well as the regional and global economies.
DEEPENING PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE BONDS
People-to-people exchanges have become another highlight in the stabilization of China-South Korea relations.
During Xi's visit, he urged the two sides to facilitate cross-border travel and encourage more exchanges among the youth, media and think tanks, as well as at the local level.
According to statistics from South Korea's Ministry of Justice, bilateral personnel exchanges exceeded 6.65 million visits in the first ten months of this year, up 24.5 percent year-on-year.
The surge in exchanges is clearly visible in the aviation and tourism sectors. Korean Air reported a sharp rise in passenger traffic on China routes so far this year, attributing the increase in part to China's visa-free policy for South Korean citizens, with Beijing and Shanghai becoming popular weekend getaways.
Moreover, South Korean youth are increasingly interested in learning more about China. Jang Su-seok, a social media influencer, has visited China more than 20 times this year. The visa-free policy is a crucial step toward enhancing mutual understanding, he said. "Once people can easily travel to China, many stereotypes would naturally fade away."
From a wide range of cultural and educational programs to the rising popularity of "panda tourism," people-to-people bonds have become more diverse and more substantive.
Qu Huan, president of the Korea-China Association for Cultural Exchange, described the bilateral relationship in 2025 as a "rainbow after the rain" that reflects renewed confidence and shared expectations for the future.
Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing said that China and South Korea are close neighbors with deep-rooted cultural ties and long-standing people-to-people bonds. He expressed his hope that cultural exchanges will continue to support the steady and long-term development of China-South Korea ties. ■
