Chinese FM Wang Yi to visit Seoul next week for talks with S. Korean counterpart

한중 외교장관회담 15일 개최...미중 대립 속 北 영변·양국 관계 등 논의

Top diplomats of Seoul and Beijing will hold talks next week.
Their meeting comes amid escalating China-U.S. rivalry... and as South Korea tries to enlist support from Beijing to move the stalled nuclear talks with Pyeongyang forward.
Yoon Jung-min provides a glimpse of what to expect.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi will be coming to Seoul next week for talks with his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong.
Seoul's foreign ministry says they will sit down for talks next Wednesday, which will be their first face-to-face meeting in five months.

"We expect the meeting to be a milestone in seeking various paths for the future-oriented development of bilateral ties ahead of next year's 30th anniversary of South Korea-China diplomatic relations."

The agenda includes bilateral issues, Korean Peninsula affairs... as well as regional and global issues.
They are likely to discuss North Korea issues, especially considering reports that the North may have restarted its main nuclear reactor used to produce atomic bombs.
The agenda also includes ways to bolster South Korea-China relations, marking three decades of diplomatic ties.
During his visit, there will be a committee meeting to promote Seoul-Beijing exchanges in the humanities, as the two countries celebrate a "year of cultural exchanges" until 2022.

The Chinese foreign minister last came to Seoul some 10 months ago, and has been visiting South Korea every year since 2019.
As the U.S.-China rivalry intensifies, Beijing is apparently looking to prevent other countries getting too close to the U.S.
Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives suggested including South Korea in its 'Five Eyes' intel-sharing program... possibly to rein in the rise of Russia and China.

"Our government consistently seeks to develop a harmonious South Korea-China relationship based on a firm South Korea-U.S. relationship."

It has not been announced, but there's a possibility that Wang makes a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in.
The Chinese diplomat could request cooperation on the Beijing Winter Olympics, slated for next February.
Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.

#China #Wang_Yi #counterpart

2021-09-07, 22:00 (KST)

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