Beijing and Seoul agreed to more dialogue to foster “political trust and promote practical cooperation” during high-level foreign affairs and defence talks in the South Korean capital on Tuesday.
As part of the “2+2 dialogue” in Seoul, Chinese foreign vice-minister Sun Weidong and Zhang Baoqun, deputy director of the Chinese military’s international cooperation office, met South Korean foreign vice-minister Kim Hong-kyun and Lee Seung-beom, director general for international policy at the defence ministry.
The two sides “had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the bilateral relations and international regional issues of mutual interest” and outlined their diplomatic and security policies, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
The Chinese delegation also met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul.
The 2+2 dialogue was set up in 2002 and has been held five times. Tuesday’s meeting was the first since it was upgraded to the vice-ministerial level in 2020 under the administration of former South Korean president Moon Jae-in.
It coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first visit to North Korea in two decades.
However, Beijing said the date for the 2+2 dialogue “was agreed upon at an early stage” and it had “no special relevance to other countries”.
Beijing also noted that North Korea and Russia “as friendly neighbours have their normal need to have exchanges and cooperation and develop their relations, and the high-level exchanges are the bilateral arrangements of two sovereign countries”.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Beijing and Seoul agreed on Tuesday to carry out dialogue and exchanges at various levels and fields, and “to enhance communication and political trust, and promote practical cooperation” through high-level strategic dialogue.
This included the 2+2 dialogue, and the “track 1.5 dialogue”, discussions that involve government officials and non-government experts.
They also agreed to improve local government and youth exchanges.
The ministry said China promoted global security cooperation through dialogue and negotiation, and opposed hegemony, unilateralism and power politics.
“China and South Korea are both beneficiaries of economic globalisation, and therefore they should jointly safeguard global industrial supply chains, and oppose politicisation of economic issues and … any kind of trade protectionism and barriers,” it said.
China and South Korea enjoy robust trade ties but these have been tested in recent years by Seoul’s closer security and political relations with Washington.
There were signs of improvement last month when Chinese Premier Li Qiang met South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul on the margins of a trilateral summit with Japan. During those talks, negotiations resumed on upgrading a free-trade agreement.
In the meeting on Tuesday, the officials also discussed the Korean peninsula issue, with China saying that safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula was “in line with the common interest of all sides, including China and South Korea”.
“The situation and the development of the situation is clear, and the priority is to cool the situation and avoid escalation of the confrontation, and uphold the right direction of political settlement,” the Chinese foreign ministry said.
“China always draws our own conclusions on issues based on the right and wrong of the matters, and we will continue to play a constructive role in Korean peninsula affairs in our own way.”
The ministry also said Beijing made clear its position on Taiwan and other core interests, and “asked Seoul to properly handle them”.
In addition, South Korea reiterated that its position of respecting China’s position on Taiwan had not changed, according to the ministry.
SCMP
Siddhartha 