On Saturday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet for talks. This is the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders. It's also the first time Xi has visited his Asian neighbor in over a decade.

The two will meet in the city Gyeongju, on the sidelines the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. This meeting follows a period of strained relations between Beijing and Seoul. Seoul is a key ally of the United States.

Here are a few topics that you may want to discuss:

Lee stated in an interview that China was South Korea's biggest trading partner. Seoul also regarded Beijing as being a major force to stabilize supply chains.

South Korea is concerned about China's control on rare earth exports. This has affected industries from electric vehicles to petroleum products.

China has also announced sanctions against five U.S.-linked units of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean. They cited security risks arising from their involvement in "relevant investigative activity" by the U.S.

Officials in Seoul warned that the move could have a negative impact on ambitious plans to cooperate with Washington for shipbuilding under a new trade agreement by disrupting supplies and materials from China.

NORTH KOREA

Lee's office announced on Friday that he will be discussing the denuclearisation with Xi at the summit.

Seoul is increasingly concerned that international pressure on Pyongyang's nuclear program has weakened.

Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, visited Beijing in September for a military display with other leaders mostly non-Western including Vladimir Putin from Russia.

Lee called this week on U.S. president Donald Trump to allow South Korea the possession of fuel for a submarine powered by nuclear power.

Trump claimed that he gave approval to South Korea for the construction of such a vessel within the United States after their summit.

China responded by saying it hoped South Korea, and the U.S. would "honestly fulfill their nuclear nonproliferation commitments and do things that promote regional peace and stabilty."

FRICTION TERRITORIAL

In April, South Korea voiced concern about China's construction of a sea structure on a disputed sea area between the two nations.

Seoul is concerned that China may be attempting to claim territory where China's exclusive economic zones overlap.

China said the structure was fishing equipment and did not have anything to do with territorial claims.

K-POP BAN

Seoul hopes that Xi’s visit will lead to Beijing easing restrictions on South Korean content.

Beijing has effectively prohibited K-pop imports due to tensions over the US-led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), which was deployed in South Korea last year.

To encourage cultural cooperation, Lee's administration has relaxed visa policies until June 2026 for groups of Chinese tourists. China has also implemented a policy of visa-free travel for South Koreans by the end 2025. (Reporting and editing by Ed Davies, Raju Gopalakrishnan.)

(source: Reuters)