South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin is set to meet with Wang Yi, head of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister, in Beijing on November 13. This meeting comes ahead of President Lee Jae-myung's attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen next week. Analysts suggest the discussions will focus on coordinating diplomatic agendas while exploring China's role in reviving stalled inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. dialogues.
Before departing from Gimpo International Airport, Minister Park stated that he plans to discuss a range of topics, including overall South Korea-China relations, coordination ahead of the APEC meeting, issues concerning North Korea, and the potential for North Korea-U.S. talks.
Regarding China's potential mediation in North Korea-U.S. talks, Park acknowledged the possibility but expressed uncertainty about the extent of China's active involvement in inviting North Korea to APEC, saying, "I don't think the chances are very high, but I can't say for sure yet." His comments seem to temper expectations for a surprise meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump during APEC, while still leaving open the possibility for diplomatic engagement.
The South Korean government is expected to outline its policy for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula during this meeting and request China's constructive role in resuming inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. dialogues.
Given that North Korea is not an APEC member, there are concerns that a major diplomatic event between the U.S. and North Korea could overshadow the multilateral agenda set by China. This raises the likelihood that China may prefer to facilitate communication between the two sides behind the scenes rather than publicly orchestrating a meeting.
Preliminary coordination for the South Korea-China summit is also a key focus of this meeting. President Lee is scheduled to visit Manila, Philippines, and Shenzhen, China, from November 16 to 19. He will arrive in Shenzhen on the 18th to attend the APEC CEO Summit and a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, followed by the main APEC summit on the 19th. The government is also coordinating separate meetings with leaders of major countries during this trip, raising interest in the potential for a South Korea-China summit.
If the South Korea-China summit takes place, stabilizing bilateral relations and expanding practical cooperation are expected to be major topics. Ahead of this, Park and Wang are likely to review differences in their positions on sensitive practical issues, such as China's construction activities in the Yellow Sea, maritime boundary delineation, and the THAAD deployment restrictions.
In practical terms, the core task of this visit to China is to outline the agenda for South Korea-China diplomatic relations while engaging China as a partner in restoring dialogue on the Korean Peninsula.
Meanwhile, this meeting marks the first South Korea-China foreign ministers' meeting in about three months since Wang's visit to South Korea in August. Park's visit is also seen as a reciprocal gesture following Wang's invitation. He will spend two days in China, meeting with Wang before sharing a dinner together.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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