Deepening cooperation with China to unlock abundant opportunities for ROK: president

Hailing China as a global leader in renewable energy, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung has expressed his strong optimism that deepening cooperation with China in the area will unlock abundant opportunities for his country.

In an interview with the China Media Group in Seoul, capital of the ROK, ahead of his upcoming state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7, Lee highlighted China's remarkable progress in clean energy and technological innovation.

He recalled his previous visits to China during his tenures as the mayor of Seongnam and later as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, when he toured Chinese cities including Chongqing and Dalian. Even then, he spoke highly of China's robust innovation capacity and commitment to high-quality development.

"I have visited China from time to time and witnessed its rapid development. It was almost a completely different country each time I went. China has rapidly transitioned to renewable energy, and it is now a global leader in the renewable energy industry, especially in solar energy," said Lee.

"China possesses truly outstanding capabilities to identify opportunities amid crises and focus national capacities on them to develop new technologies and drive industrial growth. This trend is likely to continue for quite a long period of time, and I anticipate that the cooperative relationship between the ROK and China will open up abundant opportunities for the ROK in this regard," he said.

It will be Lee's first visit to China since taking office in June 2025, and also the first visit to the country by an ROK president since 2019.

It will also marks that the two heads of state have exchanged visits within two months as Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the ROK from Oct 30 to Nov 1, 2025.

Deepening cooperation with China to unlock abundant opportunities for ROK: president

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that Seoul firmly adheres to the one-China principle, in comments made ahead of his upcoming state visit to China.

The remarks were made in an interview with China Media Group (CMG). The visit is scheduled for Jan 4–7.

"The consensus reached between governments of the Republic of Korea and China when diplomatic relations were established continues to be the fundamental principle governing our relations, and its effectiveness remains steadfast. I want to clearly state that the ROK has always adhered to the one-China principle. Maintaining peace and stability in regional matters, including in Northeast Asia and concerning the Taiwan issue, holds significant importance to us," said Lee.

"The foundational relationship between the ROK and China was established on a very principled and fundamental basis from the beginning. It is clear that the ROK government has always adhered to this position and has never wavered from it. I believe that the sound development of ROK-China relations depends on both sides fully respecting each other's core interests and being mutually tolerant of each other's positions. In this context, we will, as always, uphold the one-China principle as the Taiwan issue is China's most fundamental concern," he said.

ROK president reiterates firm adherence to one-China principle