A recent public opinion survey shows that Koreans favor neither a strategy of relying on the United States for security and China for economic ties, nor one of aligning fully with the United States in both areas.

The 30-minute call comes as Lee, a liberal from South Korea's Democratic Party, seeks to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North-South relations are at their most strained in decades amid Kim's frequent ballistic missile tests and North Korean troop deployments to support Russia's war against Ukraine.

The United States and China have reached a new trade agreement, reviving terms first agreed to in Geneva last month, after escalating tensions led to a virtual halt in bilateral trade, CNN

Calling the deal “a great WIN for both countries,” Trump said the agreement would rebalance trade relations while maintaining US leverage through sustained tariff pressure.

China and 53 African countries called on nations, especially the United States, to return to the "right track" of resolving trade differences, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. The statement came after China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with African officials in the city of Changsha located in southern Hunan province.

Lee Jae-myung took office last week after an election campaign in which he had pledged to establish stronger ties with Beijing.

Welcome to the Daily News Brief, CFR’s flagship morning newsletter summarizing the top global news and analysis of the day. Subscribe to the Daily News Brief to receive it every weekday morning.Top