Cho, Wang Yi hold 4-hour talks; Korea-China summit at November APEC comes into view

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a four-hour marathon meeting and dinner, discussing ways to fully restore bilateral ties and advance peace on the Korean Peninsula.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cho and Wang — who is in South Korea on an official visit ahead of the 34th anniversary of diplomatic normalization between the two countries on Monday — met from 6:15 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. Wednesday for back-to-back talks and a dinner, holding in-depth discussions on bilateral relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other shared concerns.

Cho said the momentum for a full restoration of South Korea-China relations had been firmly established through reciprocal state visits by the two leaders, and proposed that both sides steadily implement follow-up measures in each sector so the positive trajectory would translate into tangible benefits for their peoples. He also expressed South Korea's full support for the APEC summit to be held in Shenzhen, China, in November — as the previous year's APEC chair — and called for both sides to begin preparing for high-level exchanges on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.

Wang said bilateral relations were developing steadily on the strength of the two leaders' state visits, and said China was "actively considering" a leaders' meeting on the sidelines of the Shenzhen APEC summit in November. Wang also formally invited Cho to visit China, and Cho expressed his gratitude, with both sides agreeing to coordinate a suitable date through diplomatic channels.

The two sides pledged to build political trust and deepen horizontal economic cooperation. With people-to-people exchanges between the two countries expected to surpass 10 million this year, they agreed to advance cooperation in key areas ahead of the 35th anniversary of diplomatic normalization next year — including South Korea-China free trade agreement negotiations on services and investment, supply chain stabilization, the introduction of giant pandas, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and the preservation of independence movement historic sites in China.

Cho conveyed the government's principled position on major security and maritime issues, including the West Sea, emphasizing mutual respect, and urged China to protect the safety and rights of South Korean nationals residing there.

On North Korea, Cho introduced the president's "blueprint for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula" from his Liberation Day address and asked China to play a constructive role in bringing Pyongyang back to dialogue as soon as possible. Wang said China's Korean Peninsula policy "maintains continuity and stability" and pledged to continue playing a role in promoting peace and stability, expressing hope for peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas and lasting stability on the peninsula.

Cho also conveyed his condolences to the family and the Chinese people over the recent death of former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.