Seoul: The presidential office announced on Monday the critical importance of maintaining high-level communication to strengthen the ties between South Korea and China, aiming to build on the momentum generated from the recent bilateral summit held in Peru. According to Yonhap News Agency, while President Yoon Suk Yeol has emphasized reinforcing South Korea's security alliance with the United States over the past two and a half years, he stated during a recent interview in Brazil that South Korea does not view U.S.-China relations as a binary choice. This approach was further clarified by a senior presidential official accompanying the trip, who explained that Seoul's diplomatic strategy consistently focuses on pursuing national interests in both security and economic domains, with China being South Korea's largest trading partner. The official highlighted the necessity of maintaining high-level communication to improve ties, given Beijing's centralized and efficient decision-making process. This was emphas ized following Yoon's first in-person meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in two years, where Yoon requested Beijing's constructive role in regional peace and explored ways to enhance bilateral relations. The leaders also exchanged invitations for future visits to continue their dialogue. Since May, high-level exchanges between the neighboring countries have increased significantly, especially after Seoul hosted a trilateral summit with Japan for the first time in over four years, which was attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Moving forward, the two nations aim to achieve tangible results in areas such as free trade negotiations, economic cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, as stated by the senior official. President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting in Lima, Peru, on November 15, 2024, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, underscored the commitment to enhancing South Korea-China relations.