Xi seeks high-tech cooperation in summit with South Korea’s Yoon

Bloomberg

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for accelerating negotiations on a trade deal and boosting cooperation in high-tech manufacturing in a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, the first summit between leaders of the two countries in about three years.
Xi told Yoon that China and South Korea should work together to maintain the global free-trade system and ensure the security of global supply chains, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The meeting took place Tuesday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
The remarks by the Chinese leader come as the US pressures security partners including South Korea, the Netherlands, Taiwan and Japan to comply with sweeping curbs on the sale of advanced chips. Xi, who met US President Joe Biden on Monday night, made a similar appeal during a meeting earlier in the day with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Yoon, a conservative who took office in May, asked Xi to play a role in stemming Kim Jong Un’s missile and nuclear programs. North Korea, which shares borders with both countries, has ratcheted up tensions to levels not seen in years by firing off in recent weeks one of its biggest barrages of missiles under Kim in defiance of UN resolutions. South Korea has warned the nation could soon conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
The South Korean president asked Xi Jinping for a more “active and constructive role” amid the growing provocations from North Korea and to hold regular, high-level talks, Yoon’s office said.