On May 13, 2024, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, held talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Doi-yeol in Beijing.
Wang Yi said that China and the ROK are close neighbors and should come and go frequently. Over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the overall development of bilateral relations has been smooth and fruitful. The two sides established a strategic partnership in 2008 to give more importance to their respective diplomatic relations. China and the ROK have achieved mutual achievements and common development in exchanges and cooperation, and contributed to regional peace and prosperity, which fully demonstrates that the development of China-ROK relations is in line with the trend of the times and reflects the will of the people. Recently, China-ROK relations have faced difficulties and challenges, which are not in the common interests of both sides and are not what China wants to see. It is hoped that the ROK will work with China to uphold the original aspiration of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, adhere to the direction of good-neighborliness and friendship, strengthen the goal of mutually beneficial cooperation, eliminate interference, work together in the same direction, and work together to promote the sound and stable development of China-ROK relations.
Wang Yi pointed out that there is no fundamental conflict of interest between China and the ROK, and that harmony and diversity should be pursued. The two sides should understand and respect each other, strengthen communication and exchanges, eliminate misunderstandings and enhance mutual trust. It is hoped that the ROK will abide by the one-China principle, properly and prudently handle Taiwan-related issues, and consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations. The two sides should send more objective and positive messages, increase positive guidance, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and consolidate the foundation of public opinion in bilateral relations. The economic and trade cooperation between China and the ROK is large in scale and highly complementary, with the trade volume exceeding US$310 billion last year. China is accelerating the development of new productive forces, promoting high-quality development, and expanding high-level opening-up, which will bring important opportunities to South Korea. The two sides should deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, be reliable and long-term partners in each other's development process, jointly oppose trade protectionism, safeguard the international free trade system, and ensure the stability and smoothness of production and supply chains. I hope that your current working visit will play a positive role in improving and developing China-ROK relations.
Cho said he hoped that the visit would be an important step forward in ROK-China relations. The ROK Government attaches great importance to its relations with China and looks forward to working closely with China on the basis of mutual respect, reciprocity, and common interests to develop a healthier and more mature strategic cooperative partnership. Promoting the development of ROK-China relations and working together to address common challenges is in the common interests of the two countries and peoples, and is also the expectation of the international community. The ROK does not approve of a zero-sum game, hopes to develop relations with other countries in a balanced manner, and is willing to work with China to enhance mutual trust, expand consensus, focus on cooperation, avoid geopolitical constraints as much as possible, and jointly open up a new chapter in ROK-China cooperation.
The two sides also exchanged views on Sino-Japanese-ROK cooperation and the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues of common concern.