South Korea’s foreign minister met his Chinese counterpart in the southern Chinese city of Xiamen on Saturday, as Seoul seeks to improve ties with its top trading partner even as US-China relations remain strained.
Ahead of the trip, South Korea’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong told reporters that he expected North Korea to be a key issue in talks with Wang Yi.
In his opening statement, Wang said China and South Korea will “seek a process for a political resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue,” as part of pursuing policies for permanent peace amid North Korea’s nuclear standoff with Washington.
Chung said both China and South Korea share the goal of “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula.
He said South Korea asks China “to continue serving a constructive role in the stable management of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and achieving substantial progress in the Korean Peninsula peace process.”
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul said the meeting started at around noon.
South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper speculated that China’s decision to host Chung in Xiamen, a city close to the self-ruled island of Taiwan.