Photo : Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae
President Lee Jae Myung has met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who are visiting Seoul to fine-tune views on the agenda for the U.S.-China summit.
Lee met with the two officials Wednesday, a day ahead of the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said that upon meeting with Bessent, Lee stressed the need for their countries to further strengthen bilateral cooperation on supply chains for critical minerals and the foreign exchange market.
Bessent, for his part, agreed with Lee on the need for stronger bilateral cooperation and said that thanks to Lee’s leadership, South Korea is demonstrating a remarkable performance in growth and stocks compared with other countries amid difficult conditions, including the Iran war.
In his meeting with He Lifeng, Lee vowed Seoul’s best efforts to help He’s negotiations with Bessent proceed smoothly, stressing that the advancement of U.S.-China ties will promote the development and prosperity of countries around the world.
Lee then stressed the need for Seoul and Beijing to continue close communication to reap substantial results in various areas, including economics, industry, trade and culture.
In response, He vowed best efforts for the smooth implementation of agreements reached between Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping, crediting the strategic leadership of both presidents for the fact that despite global uncertainties, bilateral trade posted higher growth in the first half of the year compared with last year.