ANKARA 

South Korea on Friday vowed to uphold the one-China policy, ahead of a state visit to Beijing by the country's President Lee Jae Myung.

"I clearly affirm that respecting the one-China principle and maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including in the Taiwan Strait, are very important," Lee said in an interview with China's state broadcaster CCTV News, according to Seoul-based news agency Yonhap.

Lee, who will arrive in Beijing on Sunday, is scheduled to hold a meeting with President Xi Jinping on Monday.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Lee would then travel to Shanghai on Tuesday for a two-day stay.

Wi also said Seoul "respects the one-China policy and acts in accordance with that position."

During his meeting with Xi, Lee is expected to discuss economic cooperation and peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula and would seek Beijing’s involvement in securing "a breakthrough in resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula," said the report.

Lee will become the first sitting South Korean president to travel to China since 2017.

His trip comes after Xi paid a three-day state visit to South Korea from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, where he also attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju.

It was Xi’s first trip to South Korea in 11 years, since 2014.

China and South Korea formally established diplomatic relations in August 1992. The trade volume between the two countries reached $267.6 billion in 2024.