Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded a visit to Seoul on Friday after meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac. Wang urged South Korea to avoid taking sides between Beijing and Washington while Beijing declined Seoul’s push for multiparty peace talks concerning North Korea.
Strategic Autonomy and the U.S. Factor in Seoul
During meetings in Seoul, Wang urged South Korea to pursue genuine strategic autonomy
and avoid bloc confrontation, according to reporting by Reuters. Wang maintained that the fundamental solution to regional tensions requires the United States to abandon its hostile stance toward North Korea.
President Donald Trump, who announced plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year. Trump noted that Pyongyang possessed 57 nuclear weapons and ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with Kim. Those announcements caught Seoul by surprise.
Bilateral Ties and Trade Negotiations
Despite the geopolitical tensions, both Beijing and Seoul stated that bilateral relations had fully recovered following years of strain over the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system. In talks with President Lee Jae Myung, Wang advocated for a pragmatic approach to bilateral cooperation, telling South Korean officials that bilateral ties had fully recovered
and made progress this year following meetings between the two countries’ leaders. Wang was making his first solo trip to South Korea in five years, having visited the country last year alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping. During his meetings with President Lee Jae Myung and other senior officials, Wang delivered a pointed message urging Seoul to pursue genuine strategic autonomy
, avoid bloc confrontation or taking sides
, and develop relations with Beijing and Washington in a mutually compatible manner
, according to the foreign ministry in Beijing. Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that Wang stated during his meeting with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Thursday that the fundamental solution to the tensions on the Korean Peninsula lies in addressing the root causes of the problem and urging the United States to abandon its hostile policy toward North Korea.
Wang also stated that China hopes South Korea will achieve genuine strategic autonomy, refrain from bloc confrontation and taking sides, and develop relations with major powers including China and the United States in parallel and without contradiction.
Wang also called for the early completion of the second phase of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement, stating that the two countries should promote regional economic integration amid intensifying fragmentation in the global economy and rising trade protectionism, according to Xinhua. President Lee told Wang that China and South Korea have achieved tangible results toward a full restoration
of bilateral ties, pledging to support China’s effort in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen later this year, his office reported. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told Parliament that the ministry was pursuing a summit between Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit. Wang also invited Wi to visit China, according to South Korea’s presidential office. Wi asked Wang for China’s constructive cooperation in pursuing South Korea’s policy on North Korea, while the South Korean government is trying to resume dialogue with North Korea as well as calling for a phased, pragmatic approach to North Korea’s denuclearisation beginning with a halt to its nuclear programme. Wang told Wi that China would be glad to see the peninsula move toward peaceful coexistence between South Korea and North Korea,
calling for a restart of dialogue and restoration of trust.
Missile Launches and Security Readiness
The diplomatic talks unfolded against an immediate backdrop of security escalations. On Thursday, North Korea launched more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles. The provocations prompted South Korea’s presidential office to convene an emergency security meeting.
South Korea condemned the launches and ordered its military to maintain full readiness during ongoing joint exercises with the United States. Meanwhile, Wang declined to support Seoul’s push for multiparty peace talks involving Pyongyang, signaling continued diplomatic hurdles for regional security initiatives. The U.S. has maintained its official stance demanding North Korea to denuclearise, which Pyongyang has consistently rejected.
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