FM Cho to visit China this week for talks with Wang Yi on N. Korea, bilateral ties
Summary
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit Beijing for two days starting Friday for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on North Korea-related issues, bilateral relations and regional matters. The visit follows Wang’s invitation during talks in Seoul in August. Cho’s trip comes before President Lee Jae Myung’s planned visit to China for the APEC summit in Shenzhen on Nov. 18-19. A South Korean presidential official said a Trump-Kim meeting on the summit’s sidelines was unlikely.
Key Facts
- Cho and Wang are scheduled to hold talks and attend a dinner on Friday, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.
- During their August talks in Seoul, Cho called on Beijing to play a constructive role in bringing North Korea back to dialogue.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders are expected to attend the Shenzhen summit.
- A South Korean presidential official said it was difficult to predict whether Trump and Kim might have contact before or after the summit because of many unpredictable factors.
- Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said Seoul saw little likelihood of concrete moves toward renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue and was monitoring developments.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, left, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi before their talks at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Sept.17, 2025. Joint Press Corps in Beijing
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit China this week for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on North Korea-related issues and bilateral relations, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.
Cho is scheduled to make a two-day visit to Beijing starting Friday, during which he will hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang and attend a dinner on the same day, according to the ministry.
"The two ministers plan to hold wide-ranging discussions on issues of mutual interest, including bilateral relations, developments on the Korean Peninsula and other regional issues," ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said at a press briefing.
Cho's visit follows an invitation from Wang during their talks in Seoul in August. At the time, the two ministers exchanged views on bilateral relations and Korean Peninsula issues, with Cho calling for Beijing to play a constructive role in bringing North Korea back to dialogue.
The visit will precede President Lee Jae Myung's planned trip to China to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen on Nov. 18-19. Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders are also expected to attend the summit.
The gathering is expected to provide an opportunity for Xi and Trump to meet. The possibility of a trilateral meeting involving Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit has also drawn attention.
There has also been speculation about a possible meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during Trump's trip to Asia, as the U.S. president has expressed interest in resuming dialogue with Pyongyang.
A South Korean presidential official said Thursday that a meeting between Trump and Kim on the sidelines of the APEC summit was unlikely, while noting that it was difficult to predict whether contact between the two leaders might take place before or after the summit, citing "many unpredictable factors."
"While there have been various reports about the possibility of renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue, we currently see little likelihood of any concrete moves. We are closely monitoring relevant developments," spokesperson Park said.
"We hope the resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue will help create a virtuous cycle of progress toward stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula," he added.
Explore More
- Q.
- Q.
- Q.