Park Jin urges "Stop North Korea provocations, play a role," China’s Wang Yi responds "Will continue constructive role"

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Wang, a member of the Chinese Communist Party Central Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs, responded to South Korea's request to play a "constructive role" regarding the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, including threats from North Korea, by stating, "We will continue to play a constructive role."

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 26th, Wang, who visited South Korea for the first time in over two years to attend the Korea-China-Japan trilateral foreign ministers' meeting, said during a bilateral meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in Busan that morning, "China has consistently been a stabilizing force in the Northeast Asian situation and will continue to play a constructive role in easing tensions on the Peninsula now and in the future."

Minister Park broadly discussed issues related to the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea's recent military reconnaissance satellite launch and North Korea-Russia cooperation, urging China to play a constructive role as it is in the joint interests of South Korea and China for North Korea to halt further provocations and move toward denuclearization.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said regarding Wang's reaction to the partial suspension of the September 19 military agreement, "He explained his thoughts based on China's fundamental position that has been stated so far." When asked whether Wang's mention of playing a role in stabilizing the Korean Peninsula situation represented a progressive stance, the official replied, "It seems excessive to say it was a new statement from the Chinese side."

The meeting also included an exchange of views on Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea. A South Korean Foreign Ministry official explained, "Both sides share a consensus on the importance of high-level exchanges regarding President Xi's visit and continue to communicate," adding, "In that context, there was also an exchange of opinions on this matter."

Both sides agreed to actively operate the Korea-China Foreign and Security Dialogue, the Deputy Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue, and the 1.5-track (semi-official and non-governmental) dialogue to strengthen strategic communication at various levels.

The two ministers agreed that economic cooperation has been a vital driving force in the development of Korea-China relations and decided to strengthen mutually beneficial practical cooperation in line with the changed external environment. This is interpreted as a willingness to continue securing areas of economic cooperation possible amid the US-China strategic competition. In particular, Minister Park emphasized the importance of stable management of supply chains, protection of South Korean companies' activities in China, and revitalization of cultural content exchanges such as games and films.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang said, "Recently, many significant changes have occurred in the international and regional situation, and new circumstances have emerged in China-Korea relations. China hopes to strengthen communication with South Korea, exclude external interference, and continuously expand the new meanings of the 'strategic cooperative partnership' status."

The Taiwan issue was also mentioned. A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said, "China explained its position on what it calls core interests," and the South Korean government conveyed its basic stance on the matter.

Minister Park, as a close neighbor, requested China's support for hosting the 2030 Busan Expo, and Wang mentioned that he would seriously consider it.

Wang expressed agreement with Minister Park on the significance of restoring and normalizing Korea-China-Japan cooperation and stated that China holds a proactive attitude toward trilateral cooperation.

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