Beijing: President Lee Jae Myung's special envoys to China met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday, delivering a personal letter from Lee to Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit occurred as President Lee embarked on a trip to Washington for summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, following a two-day visit to Japan.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the delegation led by former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug arrived in Beijing and met with Wang Yi in the afternoon. They presented Lee's personal letter to Xi and discussed the government's foreign and other policies. During the meeting, Wang emphasized the importance of China-South Korea relations, which marked their 33rd anniversary of diplomatic ties on Sunday.

Wang further expressed China's willingness to enhance mutual interests and stabilize the bilateral relationship over the long term. In response, Park emphasized President Lee's appreciation for the Seoul-Beijing relationship and the hope for collaboration to normalize ties that have been strained in recent years. Park also reiterated an invitation for President Xi to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea's Gyeongju in late October.

Park informed reporters before departure that he intends to thoroughly explain the Lee government's foreign policy, centered on "pragmatic diplomacy." He mentioned that the primary message of the president's letter is to bolster the "strategic cooperative partnership" to benefit the people of both nations.

The delegation includes ruling Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Tae-nyeon and Park Jeung, as well as Roh Jae-hun, son of former President Roh Tae-woo. The envoys are scheduled to meet with key Chinese officials, including Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress. They aim to reinforce the Korean government's commitment to advancing the "strategic cooperative partnership" with China and will explore areas of cooperation such as the economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.