Yoon Suk-yeol Indicates Push for Summit with Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping's Possible Visit to South Korea After 10 Years
The foreign ministers of South Korea and China hinted at the possibility of a summit meeting between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Peru this November.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a 45-minute Korea-China foreign ministers' meeting on the 28th (local time) in New York during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, exchanging views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and bilateral relations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Both sides evaluated that high-level exchanges between Korea and China have been actively taking place this year, and agreed to continue high-level exchanges at multilateral meetings in the second half of this year, including the APEC summit in November. They also agreed to closely consult to achieve substantive results through these high-level consultations." Minister Cho said, "There is a consensus between Korea and China to maintain a favorable flow of exchanges at occasions such as this year's APEC summit," adding, "I hope today's conversation with Minister Wang will serve as an opportunity to confirm and concretize the consensus on Korea-China high-level exchanges at the APEC summit in November."
Minister Cho's mention of "high-level exchanges" in relation to the APEC summit is interpreted as indicating the promotion of a Korea-China summit meeting. President Xi's last visit to South Korea was in July 2014 during the Park Geun-hye administration.
During the meeting, Minister Wang mentioned the APEC summit scheduled to be held next year in Gyeongju, South Korea, expressing full support for South Korea's role as the chair country and promising active cooperation to achieve fruitful results, according to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Ministers Cho and Wang agreed to continuously strengthen the momentum of practical cooperation between the two countries under the shared understanding that economic cooperation is an important foundation contributing to both countries' economies and people's livelihoods.
The Korea-China foreign ministers also discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula. According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Cho referred to North Korea's successive ballistic missile launches and the disclosure of uranium enrichment facilities, stating, "In a situation where North Korea's threats are intensifying ahead of the U.S. presidential election, it is significant that Korea and China continue strategic communication at the high level," and urged China to play a constructive role regarding the Korean Peninsula issue.
In response, Minister Wang said, "War must not break out on the Korean Peninsula, and safeguarding peace and stability on the Peninsula aligns with the common interests of all parties," adding, "China will continue to promote peace talks and play a constructive role for the permanent stability of the Peninsula," according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting between Ministers Cho and Wang was their third, following meetings in Beijing in May and Vientiane, Laos in July. Minister Wang expressed hope to visit South Korea at a mutually convenient time to continue strategic communication with Minister Cho, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
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