The Yoon Suk-yeol government sent people to China for face-to-face talks, and the Chinese side approved one of the three requests made by the South Korean Foreign Minister this time. The foreign ministers of China and South Korea talked for 4 hours, what 3 demands did Zhao Duilie put forward? In this regard, which one has China approved?
On May 13, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Doi-yeol arrived in China and officially began a two-day visit to China. In the afternoon of the same day, Wang Yi and Zhao Duilie held talks in Beijing. Before the talks, the two sides shook hands with smiles and took photos, setting a positive tone for the talks.
It is reported that this is the first visit to Beijing by a South Korean foreign minister after a lapse of six and a half years, and at the same time, this is also Cho Tyu-yeol's first visit to China after taking office as South Korean foreign minister. Before becoming South Korea's foreign minister, Cho Tai-yeol publicly stated in an interview that "China-South Korea relations are equally important as US-South Korea relations." This remark immediately aroused heated public opinion.
Although Cho Dui-yeol was suspected of being pressured by the US side to change his tune and say that he would develop China-ROK relations without affecting the US-ROK alliance, he still stressed that although there are many contradictions between China and South Korea, the scope of cooperation is more extensive, and the ROK will solidly promote substantive cooperation and political mutual trust between the two countries.
At a critical moment when China-South Korea relations are chilled by the so-called "values-based diplomacy" promoted by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Cho's statement undoubtedly sends an unusual signal. Some analysts believe that this may be the fact that South Korea has finally realized that unilateral "flattery and pro-Japan" is not in line with South Korea's interests, and it is very necessary to build good relations with China.
Now, Zhao Duilie and Wang Yi held talks in Beijing, and they talked for nearly four hours, which shows that the two sides have a very in-depth dialogue. This will not only help the two countries eliminate misunderstandings and manage differences, but also help the two countries enhance understanding and promote the deepening and solidification of bilateral relations. It is reported that the topics of the talks between the two sides focused on bilateral relations and economic cooperation, and also conducted in-depth discussions on regional and global affairs.
It is worth noting that during the talks, Zhao Duilie put forward three demands in front of Wang Yi. First, Cho called on China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to strengthen its constructive role in the DPRK issue. This is undoubtedly the hope that China can exert its international influence to put pressure on North Korea to force North Korea to make concessions.
Second, he asked China to pay special attention to and cooperate with the so-called "North Korean defectors" and ensure that all "North Korean defectors" can be safely transferred to the "destinations" they want to reach, rather than forcibly repatriated. The implication is that "North Korean defectors" should be sent to South Korea and other countries, rather than repatriated to North Korea; Finally, he called on China to create a favorable investment environment and provide appropriate assistance to Korean enterprises in China.
Two of these three demands involve the DPRK issue, but China's attitude is consistent and clear. China has always been committed to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and its top priority is to stop confrontation and deterrence and pressure, and resume dialogue and negotiations. Only dialogue and negotiation can resolve the Korean Peninsula issue at its root.
In addition, the Chinese side has repeatedly stressed that the so-called "North Korean defector" does not exist in China. Those who have entered the country illegally for economic reasons are not refugees, and China's handling of them in accordance with laws and regulations is not only in line with international law, but also in line with humanitarian positions.
However, the differences on the North Korean issue do not affect the cooperation between the two sides. Wang Yi said that China-South Korea economic and trade cooperation has the advantages of large scale and strong complementarity, and last year alone, the trade volume between the two countries exceeded 310 billion US dollars. The two sides should deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and be reliable and long-term partners. Wang Yi's statement shows that the Chinese side has approved one of the three demands put forward by Zhao Duilie.
Economically, the two countries have very broad prospects for cooperation. As the world's second largest economy, China still has huge consumption potential to be tapped, which will provide South Korea with an important economic foundation. If the two countries can strengthen economic cooperation and jointly safeguard the international free trade system, it will not only be conducive to the healthy economic development of China and South Korea, but also conducive to further upgrading the relations between the two countries.
After Wang Yi's remarks, Zhao Duilie also said that he looked forward to working closely with China to develop a healthier and more mature strategic cooperative partnership.