The foreign ministers of South Korea and China are set to hold their first talks on Wednesday on key bilateral issues, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s anticipated visit to South Korea and China’s role in North Korea’s denuclearization, according to Seoul’s top diplomat.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun departed for his two-day visit to Beijing on Wednesday morning mainly to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who also serves as the director of the office of the Central Commission of Foreign Affairs.
This marks the first foreign ministerial meeting since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration in early June, coming at a critical juncture for bilateral ties and breaking the long-standing principle of reciprocal visits by foreign ministers — meaning it would have been Wang’s turn to make the trip.
Cho said the meeting will serve as an opportunity to “explore various ways to advance Korea–China relations and discuss pending issues,” describing China as a “highly important neighbor with whom we maintain a strategic cooperative partnership.”
Among the many agenda items on the table, the centerpiece of attention is Xi’s highly anticipated trip to South Korea, in conjunction with the APEC summit that the country will host from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 in the historic city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.
Xi’s visit would mark his first trip to South Korea in more than 11 years, since July 2014.
“I understand that President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Korea on the occasion of the APEC summit, and we will discuss specific details on the matter,” Cho told reporters at Gimpo International Airport when asked whether Seoul could “receive a definitive answer” from Beijing regarding the issue.
Beijing has yet to make an official announcement regarding Xi’s participation in the APEC summit. However, expectations in Seoul have been running high, given that China will chair APEC next year and that Xi has never skipped an APEC summit.
Cho further explained that “a wide range of agenda items will be discussed” during his meeting with Wang.
“We plan to discuss how to advance cooperative relations between Korea and China and how to ease tensions in Northeast Asia, hear (China’s) account about Chairman Kim Jong-un’s recent visit to China, and hold consultations on North Korean issues as well,” Cho said at the airport.
“Our government has consistently urged China to play a constructive role in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and in addressing North Korean issues. We will ask China once again to play a constructive and significant role along the same lines.”
Speculation is mounting that Beijing’s stance on denuclearization may be shifting, as statements issued by both sides following the Sept. 4 meeting between Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made no mention of denuclearization.
Observers in Seoul noted that the carefully worded statement released by Beijing after the meeting notably omitted any reference to the principle of denuclearization, long considered a cornerstone of China’s policy on the Korean Peninsula. The omission has fueled speculation that Beijing may be moving toward tacit acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear status.
The Xi-Kim summit — their first in more than six years, since June 2019 — was held on the occasion of China’s Victory Day celebrations on Sept. 3, following years of strained ties.
Cho also underscored that he would raise the issue of the unilateral installation of structures by Chinese authorities in the maritime zone that Seoul and Beijing have agreed to jointly manage in the West Sea through a written document signed in 2000.
“Neighboring countries must cooperate with each other and get along well. However, if there are clearly undesirable issues, we must clearly state them and point out the problems,” Cho said. “We clearly regard the issue of the structures in the West Sea as one such issue from our country’s standpoint. Therefore, we will raise this issue and seek to find a prompt solution.”
Cho’s visit breaks with the usual practice of reciprocal exchanges.
Wang has not traveled to South Korea since attending the trilateral foreign ministers’ meeting in Busan in November 2023, while then-Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul traveled to Beijing in May 2024.
Cho’s trip has garnered more attention as Wang’s visit to South Korea is also widely expected before Xi’s highly anticipated participation in the APEC summit, though the exact date has yet to be communicated to the South Korean side.
“As the two ministers agreed during their July 28 phone call to maintain frequent communication in the future, we expect that Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Korea will also take place at a mutually convenient time, just as our minister’s visit to China has taken place this time,” a Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity when asked about the timing of Wang’s visit.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
