South Korean president invites Xi Jinping to visit South Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol today extended an invitation to visit his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a meeting in Seoul with the neighbouring country's legislative chief, Li Zhanshu.
 
During the meeting Yoon said a visit by Xi would be "an important summit moment to open a new chapter in Seoul-Beijing relations," the South Korean presidential office said in a brief statement.
 
For his part, Li said he would convey the invitation to Xi and asked Yoon to visit China at his earliest convenience, the statement said.
 
Li is on a three-day visit to South Korea at the invitation of his South Korean counterpart, Kim Jin-pyo, as part of the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations.
 
The visit by the third highest-ranking official in the Chinese regime comes at a time when all eyes are on how the new government of conservative Yoon Suk-yeol will handle relations with its powerful neighbour and major trading partner.
 
Yoon, who came to power in May, pledged to seek ties "on an equal footing", when asked about the relationship nurtured by the previous liberal government - dubbed "servile" by some - after Beijing triggered sanctions against South Korean interests over the installation of a US anti-missile system on its territory.
 
However, the response to the current trip by the chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee has already drawn criticism for the contrast with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to South Korea this summer.
 
Unlike Li, Pelosi was not met at the airport by any representative of the South Korean government, nor was she able to meet with Yoon, who claimed to be on holiday, leading to speculation that Seoul was avoiding angering Beijing in the wake of the US politician's controversial visit to Taiwan.