South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held about 90 minutes of talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Friday, November 13, followed by a dinner, and briefed Korean correspondents on the meeting on Saturday.
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily
Cho said the two sides agreed to use next week's summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping — planned on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Shenzhen — to continue the “full restoration” of relations between Seoul and Beijing. The APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting takes place in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, and it would be Lee and Xi's third summit.
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily
Much of the discussion focused on the Korean Peninsula. Cho said he and Wang held an in-depth exchange covering speculation that the leaders of China, Russia and the United States could meet in Shenzhen, and that a summit between the United States and North Korea may also be possible — though he stressed that remained “only at the level of a possibility”.
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily
“I pointed out to the Chinese side that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula are in China's interest, and Minister Wang agreed,” Cho said. In his opening remarks, reported by Yonhap, Cho asked China to play a constructive role on peninsula issues such as bringing North Korea back into dialogue, and Wang said China's policy towards the Korean Peninsula has not changed.
Source: Reuters via Yonhap
A senior South Korean official at the briefing said Seoul had asked Beijing to cooperate to prevent war and build a peace regime, and that China said it would work to bring North Korea to the negotiating table. The official added that Seoul does not oppose talks between Washington and Pyongyang: “It opens an opportunity for us to play the role of peacemaker.”
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily
Seoul's 'second Yalta' warning
On a possible meeting of the US, Chinese and Russian leaders, the official said Seoul had made clear to both Washington and Beijing that it “must not become a second Yalta” — meaning no decision should emerge that runs counter to Seoul's peace efforts, such as recognising North Korea as a nuclear state. The official said China understood the point.
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily
The expression “two countries”, which Wang used to describe the two Koreas during his visit to Seoul in August, did not come up in Friday's talks, and Seoul expects China not to use it again, the official said. Seoul had lodged a formal objection to the wording in August. Seoul was also told that China's recent exchanges with North Korea have focused on economic cooperation rather than politics.
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily
Trade, travel and pending issues
No new agreements were announced after Friday's talks. The two ministers reviewed recent progress, including travel between the two countries reaching 10 million visits and rising trade. Pending issues were also raised, including Chinese structures in a temporarily jointly administered fishing zone in the Yellow Sea. On the additional loan of giant pandas to Korea, the official said it is something the leaders agreed on and would be pursued steadily, and China said it is reviewing an extension of its visa-free entry for Koreans.
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily
China said it places great importance on Lee's visit and the summit and would extend him special courtesy, according to the official, with working-level talks continuing so the two sides can announce concrete results at the summit — ahead of the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year.
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily