26 November 2023•Update: 26 November 2023
ANKARA
Chinese and South Korean top diplomats met on Sunday to discuss a host of regional issues, mainly the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula, with Beijing assuring to "help stabilize the situation."
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin in South Korea's port city of Busan, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported, citing an official at the Foreign Ministry.
The meeting took place just hours before a trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of Japan, China, and South Korea later in the day.
This is the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister to Seoul since Sept. 2021.
The two top diplomats discussed efforts to promote high-level communications at all levels, including a potential visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Wang expressed concern over the region's current security situation and said his country will play a role in ensuring stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Park, for his part, requested China to play a "constructive" role after North Korea scrapped a 2018 military tension-reduction accord with South Korea and warned of more provocations to come.
"We clearly made a point about North Korea's attitude of threatening further provocations, saying that it will not be bound by the Sept. 19 military agreement, and shifting the responsibility to us," a Foreign Ministry official told reporters after the talks.
Wang, in response, expressed "concerns" over the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula and told Park that China will do its part to "help stabilize the situation," according to the official.
Park also conveyed his concerns over the "forced" repatriation of North Korean defectors in China.
As Pyongyang's key ally, China does not recognize North Korean defectors as refugees and regularly returns them to their home country.
Park also requested Beijing's support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan.
Wang said China "will seriously consider" the request, according to the ministry official.
Wang and Park last met in July this year on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Tokyo, Seoul agree to promote bilateral ties
Meanwhile, South Korea and Japan on Sunday agreed to continue efforts to promote the bilateral relations in "a constructive and future-oriented" manner, as strained ties between the two neighbors thawed.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between South Korean Foreign Minister Park and his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa in Busan.
The two ministers agreed to look for ways to "produce tangible results that can be felt by the peoples of the two countries," a Foreign Ministry official in Seoul said after the talks.
They also agreed to expand their collaboration in advanced technologies and other areas.
