Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call with South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday, emphasizing the importance of strengthening bilateral ties and promoting regional stability, according to China’s state media.

During the call, Xi called for China and South Korea to “jointly safeguard multilateralism” and uphold free trade, state news agency Xinhua reported.

“A healthy, stable, and continuously deepening China-South Korea relationship aligns with the trend of the times,” Xi said.

“Close bilateral cooperation and multilateral coordination should be maintained to jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade, ensuring the stability and smooth functioning of global and regional industrial and supply chains.”

Xi also urged the two countries to “inject more certainty into regional and international situations” and to elevate their “strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level.”

A healthy, stable, and deepening relationship between China and South Korea would lead to both regional and global peace, Xi said, according to state-run People’s Daily.

Lee indicates foreign policy shift 

The call comes as Lee, elected in a landslide last week, signals a potential shift in Seoul’s foreign policy. 

Relations between China and South Korea have improved since a 2017 rift over a US missile defense system, but tensions remain due to Seoul’s balancing act between Beijing and Washington.

Ties with China were strained under former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, who veered toward the US and Japan.

President Lee has signaled a shift, pledging to improve relations with Beijing, as US President Donald Trump’s tariffs hit both Asian countries.

Recently, Lee pointed out the importance of China as a major trading partner, but drew criticism for his reluctance to take a firm position on security tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Edited by: Kieran Burke