Chinese Foreign Ministry: "South Korea Should Treat Korea-China Relations Seriously"

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that South Korea must deeply recognize the current issues in Korea-China relations.

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 23rd regarding the Korea-China Foreign Ministry directors' meeting held in Seoul the previous day, "Liu Jinsong, Director of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed a firm stance on China's core concerns and exchanged views with South Korea on other matters."

Ryu Jin-sung, Director of the Asian Affairs Department at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (left), and Choi Yong-jun, Director of the Northeast Asia Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He added, "During the meeting, Director Liu paid a courtesy call on Choi Young-sam, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and held a roundtable discussion with South Korean experts and scholars."

Spokesperson Mao said, "I am paying attention to the comments and reports from related media," and emphasized, "What I want to stress is that the South Korean side must deeply recognize where the current problems in Korea-China relations lie and approach them solemnly and seriously."

This is interpreted as a claim that the recent cooling trend in Korea-China relations is due to South Korea's close ties with the United States and Japan, as well as President Yoon Suk-yeol's remarks related to Taiwan.

According to the foreign ministries of South Korea and China, Choi Yong-jun, Director of the Northeast Asia Bureau of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Director Liu Jinsong discussed mutual interests for about four hours, including lunch, the previous day.

Both sides are reported to have reaffirmed their respective positions on sensitive issues such as the Taiwan Strait during this meeting.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced the results of this meeting on its website the previous day, stating, "We expressed a firm stance on China's core concerns and exchanged views with the South Korean side on other matters."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.