Seoul, Beijing hold high-level talks

Korea and China held annual vice ministerial talks yesterday to discuss security and other key issues of mutual concern, marking the first high-level meeting since Beijing entered the era of its new leader Xi Jinping, the Foreign Ministry here said. The fifth Strategic Dialogue, held in Beijing for a two-day run, was led by Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Ahn Ho-young and China’s Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun, according to Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The two sides were expected to “exchange views on ways to further develop the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership as well as the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and international issues,” the Foreign Ministry said.

They were also expected to have discussions on those matters of mutual interest, including North Korean issues, according to diplomatic sources here, as the talks come amid signs showing Pyongyang is reportedly preparing for a new long-range missile at a launchpad that has been used for previous rocket launches.

The dialogue carries significance, as it was held “shortly after a new leadership was unveiled in China,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said.

Xi assumed the posts of China’s Communist Party leader and head of the military commission earlier this month.

Yonhap