South Korean, Chinese foreign ministers discuss North, trilateral summit, supply chains

Diplomacy

Published: 14 May. 2024, 15:39 Updated: 14 May. 2024, 18:47

South Korean, Chinese foreign ministers discuss North, trilateral summit, supply chains

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, far left, speaks during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Monday evening. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

"We do not recognize foreign relations as a zero-sum game, nor do we manage them as such," said South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, China, late Monday.

Cho asked China to “pay special attention and cooperate with North Korean defectors so that they can go where they want to go without being forcibly repatriated,” during the meeting with Wang. He also called on China to play a responsible role in North Korea's recent escalation of aggression against South Korea.

Cho made the remarks during a meeting between South Korean and Chinese foreign ministers at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, where he conveyed domestic and international concerns over the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.

“China's policy toward the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged,” Wang said in response, adding that China will play a constructive role in resolving the Korean Peninsula issue. The meeting lasted about four hours, including a dinner banquet.

The Foreign Ministry said Cho “expressed concern that North Korea is denying reunification, characterizing the two Koreas as hostile and escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region through threatening rhetoric and various provocations.”

Cho also “expressed concern about North Korea's ongoing illegal military cooperation with Russia,” the ministry said. This was in reference to Beijing's long-standing silence on Pyongyang's close military cooperation with Moscow. In the meeting, Cho demonstrated a principled approach by raising issues that China may be uncomfortable with, according to observers.

“Free access to cultural content will help narrow the mental distance between the younger generations of the two countries,” Cho further said during the meeting, referring to China's boycott of Korean popular culture that still lingers in the aftermath of the 2016 decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system.

“It is important for both countries to work together to advance bilateral relations,” Cho said, emphasizing that “we must continue the momentum of cooperation while carefully managing any challenges.”

Cho also said that it is “important for us to strengthen strategic exchanges and communication at various levels, including at the senior level,” inviting Wang to visit South Korea.

In turn, Wang responded that he hopes Cho’s visit will “further revitalize high-level exchanges between our two countries,” and said he would visit at a mutually convenient time. Wang had previously visited South Korea in November last year for a meeting of the foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan in Busan.

The ministry also stated that the two ministers agreed to continue to work together to ensure the success of the upcoming 9th South Korea-China-Japan summit, which will be held in South Korea in the coming weeks.

Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, chats with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi after holding a bilateral meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Monday. [FOREIGN MINISTRY]

As such, officials are waiting for when the schedule for the trilateral summit, scheduled to be held in Seoul on May 26 to 27, will be officially announced.

Cho and Wang also discussed the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and U.S.-China relations, according to the Foreign Ministry.

“To usher in a new era of South Korea-China cooperation, we need to focus less on speed and scale and more on laying the foundation for sustainable development through enhancing mutual trust,” Cho said during the meeting, emphasizing that “we should continue to develop a 'strategic cooperative partnership' based on mutual respect, reciprocity and common interests.”

While China is South Korea's largest trading partner, the implication is that now Seoul and Beijing must focus not only on economic cooperation, but also on building the bilateral trust that will underpin it. The two ministers also agreed to "closely communicate on the stable management of supply chains," which is essential to avoid a repeat of the 2021 urea shortage crisis.

Beijing's Foreign Ministry further said in a press release that Wang expressed hope that South Korea would adhere to the "one China" principle and handle the Taiwan issue "carefully."

Cho's call for "quality over quantity" in South Korea-China economic cooperation also came later in the day at a meeting with South Korean business leaders active in China.

"The high interdependence between South Korea and China has been a driving force for the two economies to grow and prosper together, but it also carries risks," Cho said at the meeting. "If there are risks in the Chinese market, we will help minimize them.”

Cho is set to return to Seoul Tuesday evening after wrapping up a two-day trip.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]