The situation on the Korean Peninsula was discussed at the Korea-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting... Pay attention to multilateral discussions

As the government promotes dialogue between the parties to end the Korean War, the foreign minister of China, a party to the war and a key ally of North Korea, visited South Korea on the 19th.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun met with Wang Yi, Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on this day.

Meeting again 11 months after the meeting held in Beijing in September last year, the two Ministers exchanged in-depth opinions on issues of mutual interest, including bilateral relations between Korea and China, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and regional and international issues.

In his closing remarks at the meeting, Minister Cho said, "I hope that the results of the restoration of Korea-China relations will contribute to peace and stability in the region, including the Korean Peninsula. As President Lee Jae-myung recently presented a blueprint for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula through a congratulatory speech on Liberation Day, the Korean government will work to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and realize peace."

He continued, “I look forward to cooperating with China based on the common interests of Korea and China in achieving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and I look forward to having an honest and in-depth conversation with Director Wang Yi today.”

Minister Cho also expressed condolences over the death of former Chinese State Council Premier Zhu Rongji.

In response, Director Wang said, "As the most important neighboring country on the Korean Peninsula, China will continue to play a constructive role for peace, development, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," and "We will make the efforts we deserve."

“We also hope that the two countries, South Korea and North Korea, can gradually pursue opportunities for peace and coexistence, and we sincerely hope that the Korean Peninsula will achieve continued stability and development,” he said.

Regarding the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Minister Cho is expected to have explained to Director Wang the plan for multilateral discussions proposed by President Lee Jae-myung to end the war and requested China to play a constructive role for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and multilateral dialogue with North Korea.

In particular, as US President Donald Trump sends dialogue messages to North Korea every day, and foreign media reports that he is pushing for a North Korea-US summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China in November, the role of China, which can exert significant influence over North Korea, is attracting attention.

Minister Cho is expected to ask Director Wang for cooperation so that the Korean Peninsula issue can be positively discussed between the leaders of the United States and China, as Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit the United States in September.

This meeting is also meaningful as an opportunity to review the follow-up business results of the last Korea-China summit and to look at the expected agenda for the next Korea-China summit that may be held following the Shenzhen APEC summit.

In particular, as next year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China, it is expected that there will be intensive discussions on using this as a stepping stone to improve and strengthen the relationship between the two countries, which have declared 'comprehensive restoration'.

The meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m., but Director Wang arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building at 6:16 p.m.

Although it is not uncommon for the meeting schedule to be somewhat delayed like this, Director Wang has previously been criticized for being late for major diplomatic events with other countries, including the Korea-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

After the meeting, the two ministers moved to their seats and continued their conversation over dinner.

Director Wang's solo visit to Korea is approximately 5 years since September 2021.

Director Wang plans to pay a courtesy call on President Lee Jae-myung at the Blue House on the 20th and have a meeting and lunch with National Security Office Director Wi Sung-rak.