South Korea Seeks China's Help to Cool Tensions with North Korea

South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung, recently visited China. He had important meetings with Chinese leaders. He asked China to help ease tensions with North Korea. Lee believes China can play a big role in this. He thinks China can help restart talks and reduce hostilities. Lee met with China's president, Xi Jinping, in Beijing. He also talked to China's premier, Li Qiang. Both leaders advised patience on North Korean issues. Lee agreed but also stressed the need for action. He said all communication channels with North Korea are blocked. This makes it hard to make any progress. China is North Korea's biggest trading partner. It also supports North Korea diplomatically. South Korea and the U. S. have asked China to use its influence. They want China to push North Korea to talk and denuclearize. However, China has been cautious. It has urged all sides to be patient and avoid escalating tensions.North Korea has not been willing to talk lately. It has ignored South Korea's attempts to reopen dialogue. In fact, North Korea has been expanding its nuclear arsenal. This has been a concern for both South Korea and the U. S. Lee's government has been trying to reopen talks with North Korea. But North Korea has not responded positively. In July, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader, criticized South Korea. She said South Korea's policies were not different from its previous government. Lee also discussed his plan for phased denuclearization. He believes North Korea should freeze its nuclear and missile programs first. This would prevent further expansion of its arsenal. China agreed with Lee's view. They both think the current situation is not good for Northeast Asia or the world.