Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit South Korea this week for talks expected to focus on bilateral relations and issues related to North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry announced Tuesday.
Wang will make a two-day official visit to Seoul from Wednesday at the invitation of South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, according to the ministry. During the visit, Wang will hold talks with Cho on Wednesday to exchange views on bilateral relations, North Korea-China ties, and other issues concerning the Korean Peninsula.
At the meeting, Wang said Beijing was "actively considering" a summit between the leaders of South Korea and China at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen in November, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The comments were made during the meeting with Cho, the ministry added.
Wang also invited Cho to visit China, and Cho accepted the invitation, the ministry said.
The ministers agreed to continue efforts to expand people-to-people exchanges, with the two countries forecasting total travel between them to exceed 10 million visits. They also agreed on cooperation in various sectors, including negotiations for service and investment sectors under the South Korea-China free trade agreement, supply-chain stabilisation, cultural exchange, and the adoption of Chinese pandas, according to the ministry.
North Korea dialogue and peninsula stability
Cho urged China to play a constructive role in bringing North Korea back to dialogue as soon as possible, the ministry said. Wang said China has been consistent in its policy regarding the Korean Peninsula, adding that he hoped for the peaceful coexistence of the two Koreas.
The visit comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to address tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with China and South Korea maintaining regular high-level exchanges.