China-South Korea relations: at last, foreign ministers talk as shadow of North Korea, Russia, US, Japan loom over ties

Name: North Korea, China vow to deepen ties as Pyongyang conducts new missile tests
Uploaded: 2024-02-07T08:01:49.000Z
Duration: 2 min 7 s
Description: North Korea, China vow to deepen ties as Pyongyang conducts new missile tests

In the first phone call between Wang Yi and Cho Tae-yul, Beijing vows to uphold ‘stability and continuity’ in its South Korea policy

The two also agreed to accelerate preparations for a summit between China, South Korea and Japan, according to Seoul

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South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul was sworn in on January 12 and this week talked for the first time with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Photo: EPA-EFE/Yonhap

Kawala Xie

Published: 4:01pm, 7 Feb 2024Updated: 4:22pm, 7 Feb 2024

China has called on South Korea to pursue a “friendly” policy towards Beijing in the first phone call between Foreign Ministers Wang Yi and Cho Tae-yul

The pair spoke on Tuesday, nearly a month after Cho became Seoul’s new foreign minister amid speculation that it was an unusual delay while bilateral ties had become increasingly complicated.

In a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang said China would uphold “stability and continuity” in its South Korea policy, while calling on Seoul to have a “positive, objective and friendly” policy towards Beijing.

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North Korea, China vow to deepen ties as Pyongyang conducts new missile tests

“China maintains stability and continuity in its policy towards South Korea, and always regards South Korea as an important cooperative partner,” Wang said.

“We hope that South Korea will pursue a positive, objective and friendly policy towards China, abide by the one-China principle, safeguard the political foundation of China-South Korea relations, and push bilateral relations back to a healthy and stable development track.”

Cho, who was sworn in on January 12, has already spoken with his counterparts from the United States, Japan, Australia and Vietnam.

His predecessor, Park Jin, held a video call with Wang four days after entering office but Cho’s call with Wang could not be scheduled earlier because of the Chinese minister’s busy schedule, including trips to Africa and Thailand last month, according to South Korean media.