FM Cho to discuss Xi's likely APEC visit, bilateral ties in talks with China's Wang Yi: Seoul

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks by phone with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, July 28. Courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affair

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will discuss Chinese President Xi Jinping's expected visit to South Korea for next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and other bilateral issues when he meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.

Cho will make a two-day trip to Beijing starting Wednesday for what will be his first one-on-one talks with Wang since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung government in early June, the ministry said in a message to media.

"The two sides will have broad discussions, including Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea on the occasion of the APEC summit next month and efforts to develop the Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership in a mature manner," it said.

Xi is widely expected to attend the APEC summit, a multilateral leaders' gathering of major economies set to take place in the southeastern city of Gyeongju from Oct. 31-Nov. 1. China is the host for next year's APEC.

Cho's visit to China comes as the Lee government seeks to manage ties with Beijing while bolstering the alliance with the United States and trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan.

The growing U.S.-China rivalry has left South Korea struggling to balance its security alliance with Washington and economic ties with Beijing.

After his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump late last month, Lee said it has become harder to maintain that approach given the changing geopolitical dynamics.

His comments were seen as suggesting Washington's push to counter China leaves Seoul with little room to maneuver, meaning that South Korea is pressed to align its diplomacy with core U.S. foreign policy.

Another key topic is expected to be North Korea, after leader Kim Jong-un made a rare appearance at China's Victory Day celebrations in Beijing earlier this month, standing alongside Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Cho is likely to share assessments on North Korea's recent developments with Wang and call for Beijing's cooperation in Seoul's efforts to resume dialogue with Pyongyang. North Korea has rejected the Lee government's overtures.

In the recent summit talks with Xi, the North's Kim reportedly asked for Beijing's understanding on his decision to discard its policy of pursuing unification with the South, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported last week, citing unidentified diplomatic sources.

On Saturday, the North's state media reported that Kim will unveil a policy of simultaneously pursuing nuclear forces and conventional weapons at its upcoming party congress.

Cho is also expected to use the forthcoming talks to discuss pending bilateral issues, including China's steel structures in the overlapping area of the Yellow Sea, a dispute that has heightened tensions between the two countries.