South Korea’s Lee Sees Japan Ties as Vital as China Relations

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said the country’s relations with Japan are as important as those with China, seeking to balance his country’s foreign interests at a time when Beijing is courting Seoul while turning up pressure on Tokyo over a lingering diplomatic dispute.

“For us, relations with Japan are as important as those with China,” Lee told reporters in Shanghai on Wednesday before wrapping up a four-day trip to China that included a summit with President Xi Jinping.