South Korea is hoping to normalise relations with China that have been strained in recent years, the leader of a high-level delegation from Seoul said during a visit to Beijing on Sunday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

On his first official visit to Japan since taking office in June, Lee will meet Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the premier's residence in Tokyo to discuss bilateral ties, including closer security cooperation with the United States under a trilateral pact signed by their predecessors.

Washington’s increasing focus on Beijing is straining the decades-old alliance between South Korea and the United States.