South Korean President Lee Jae-myung sought Beijing’s support for advancing peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula during his first phone talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday, following recent calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba that touched on security issues related to North Korea.

During Tuesday’s call, Xi congratulated Lee on his election and agreed to expand economic and cultural ties, according to the ROK presidential office. Lee invited the Chinese leader to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju in November, expressing hope that this would