South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping have maintained active diplomatic engagement since Lee took office in June 2025, with a telephone conversation in early October 2026 focusing on elevating their strategic cooperative partnership, expanding trade and supply-chain cooperation, and addressing regional stability. Lee has sought Chinese mediation on North Korean denuclearization and inter-Korean dialogue while emphasizing peaceful coexistence, and the leaders oversaw multiple cooperation agreements during Lee's recent Beijing visit. These exchanges occur amid Lee's parallel efforts to strengthen U.S. alliance ties and pursue multilateral coordination on Northeast Asian security. Upcoming multilateral forums, such as potential G20 or APEC gatherings, along with any shifts in North Korea policy or U.S.-China trade dynamics, represent key variables that could influence the timing of further bilateral summits.