South Korea, China leaders hold rare meeting, pledge cooperation

Beijing and Seoul are major trading partners, despite China being North Korea’s main diplomatic and economic backer, and the South being militarily allied with the United States. 

China has called in the past for a “political settlement” to resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula, reiterating that position after the North declared Seoul a “hostile” state earlier this year.

China’s relationship with South Korea is not without its difficulties. Last month, Beijing said it had detained a South Korean citizen for alleged spying.