South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in New Delhi on Sunday, marking the first high-level meeting between the two countries since Yoon met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit meeting last November. Yoon told Li that if the two countries adhere to the existing norms and frameworks, they can continue to have “predictable” economic and investment activities, according to Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office. Li also expressed China’s hope for stronger trust between the two countries.

Most notably, Yoon in his meeting with Li proposed the idea of pursuing a trilateral summit involving Japan by the end of the year in Seoul, a suggestion that Li responded favorably to. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also agreed to push forward with the trilateral summit in a separate meeting. This proposal comes on the heels of increased U.S.-ROK-Japan cooperation, such as agreeing to regularize joint military exercises and summit meetings, to which China has been vocal about its concern. Despite South Korea's ongoing invitations for a Seoul visit by President Xi and a trilateral summit with Japan, China has not yet taken definitive steps to make it happen.