China, South Korea vow to deepen ties at Apec summit as Seoul pushes North Korea talks

China and South Korea have agreed to use next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen to advance bilateral ties, according to their top diplomats.

The pledge by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun after talks in Beijing on Friday comes as Seoul seeks Beijing’s help to revive stalled dialogue with Pyongyang.

The Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting from November 18 to 19 is expected to mark the third summit talks between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping, following Xi’s trip to South Korea for last year’s Apec gathering and Lee’s state visit to Beijing in January.

In a social media post on Saturday, Cho wrote: “As the previous chair, we will lead Apec cooperation to promote regional economic cooperation and prosperity, while making every effort through the final moments to ensure that this visit also serves as an important opportunity to advance Korea-China relations.”

00:53

Xi and Lee snap selfie after China-South Korea summit

According to a meeting read-out released late on Friday by Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang said China was ready to work with South Korea to advance the building of an Asia-Pacific community and promote common development and prosperity in the region.

China stood ready to strengthen mutual trust and expand cooperation in emerging sectors – including artificial intelligence, biomedicine, green and low-carbon development, and the silver economy – to forge new growth engines and broaden shared interests, he was quoted as saying.

Noting that the two countries mark 35 years of diplomatic ties next year, Wang said that “both sides should seize this opportunity to move the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership forward in the right direction”.

In his post, Cho also reflected on Seoul’s approach to the relationship.

“Through this visit to China, I was once again reminded that we must neither fear China’s rise without a clear understanding of it nor underestimate China’s capabilities and potential,” he wrote, calling for mutually beneficial cooperation.

While Beijing’s read-out made no mention of North Korea, Seoul’s said the two ministers exchanged views on the Korean peninsula.

According to the South Korean read-out, also released on Friday, Cho outlined Seoul’s efforts to achieve denuclearisation and peace on the peninsula and urged Beijing to play a constructive role in regional affairs, including encouraging Pyongyang to return to dialogue.

Wang reiterated that China’s policy towards the Korean peninsula remained unchanged, and pledged that Beijing would continue playing a constructive role in safeguarding regional peace and stability.

A Yonhap News Agency report citing an unidentified senior South Korean official said Wang also briefed Cho on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s October 24 visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong.

01:12

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pays unexpected visit to Chinese border city of Dandong

“[The Chinese side] said that at a basic level, China’s relations with North Korea are focused on economic cooperation rather than on political affairs,” the official was quoted as saying in the report published on Saturday.

According to the report, the Chinese delegation also addressed the prospect of a US-North Korea summit amid speculation over renewed diplomacy, but the official noted that while such a meeting remained possible, the likelihood appeared slim.

01:33

North Korean sanctions ‘aren’t working’ says South Korean president

Seoul had warned both Washington and Beijing that any such three-way summit “must not become a second Yalta”, the report said, a reference to the February 1945 conference where Allied powers carved up post-war spheres of influence without consulting smaller nations.

Major powers must not strike deals behind closed doors that undermine Seoul’s push for denuclearisation of the peninsula, such as recognising North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, the official was quoted as saying.

China understood South Korea’s position, the official added.