China's Director General Wang Yi visited Korea on the 19th. As the possibility of U.S.-North Korea talks is being mentioned again, attention is on what role China, which has influence over North Korea, can play in the Korean government's end-of-war and peace initiative.
Director General Wang held talks with Minister Cho Hyun at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul that day.
The two Ministers' meeting came 11 months after their talks in Beijing in September last year. Wang's solo visit to Korea is the first in about five years since September 2021.
In his opening remarks, Minister Cho said, "I hope we can work so that the results of restoring Korea-China relations contribute to peace and stability in the region, including the Korean Peninsula," adding, "The Korean government will continue efforts to achieve denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula."
He added, "We look forward to cooperating with China based on the Korea-China shared interest of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."
Director General Wang said, "As the most important neighboring country of the Korean Peninsula, China will continue to play a constructive role for peace, development, peace and stability on the peninsula," adding, "We hope the two countries, Korea and North Korea, will gradually move toward a path of peace and coexistence."
Director General Wang is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Lee Jae-myung on the 20th and also hold talks with Office of National Security chief Wi Sung-lac.
The core agenda of the talks appears to have been the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Minister Cho may have briefed the Chinese side on President Lee Jae-myung's recent proposal for multilateral discussions on an end-of-war declaration and asked for China's role in restarting dialogue with North Korea.
China's cooperation is emerging as a variable in changing dynamics on the Korean Peninsula. Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a series of messages to North Korea calling for talks, and there is also speculation that a U.S.-North Korea summit could be pursued on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China, in November.
Restoring Korea-China relations is also key. The two countries mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year. Minister Cho and Director General Wang are believed to have reviewed follow-up measures to the recent Korea-China summit and agendas for future summits during this meeting.