Achieved in just 26 days of inauguration… “Discussions on visiting China at a mutually convenient time”
Cho Tae-yeol “progress in Korea-Japan-China summit talks” Wang Yi “supports”
Request for China to stop provocations by North Korea and strengthen its constructive role in denuclearization
Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yeol had a phone call with Chinese Communist Party Central Political Bureau member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the 6th to discuss bilateral relations and North Korea issues.
This is the first communication between the foreign ministers of the two countries, 26 days after Minister Cho took office on the 11th of last month.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Cho spoke on the phone with his counterpart, Director Wang, for 50 minutes from 9 p.m. on this day.
This is the first telephone consultation that also serves as an inauguration greeting.
It is the fifth call between counterparts in major countries, following US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thaing Sun.
It has been 26 days since Minister Cho took office. Previously, Minister Wang sent a congratulatory message to Minister Cho, but in the case of former Minister Park Jin, there was a delay considering the precedent of having the first phone call and exchanging greetings four days after his inauguration. This was interpreted as showing the recently strained relationship between the two countries.
Director Wang congratulated Minister Cho on his inauguration in the first phone call that day, and Minister Cho expressed his gratitude.
Director Wang invited Minister Cho to visit China, saying he hoped to work closely together to develop relations between the two countries. Minister Cho responded by suggesting that we discuss through diplomatic channels a plan to visit China at a mutually convenient time.
The two Ministers agreed that it is important to strengthen strategic exchange and communication at various levels for the future-oriented development of the relationship between the two countries. In particular, Minister Cho emphasized that it is important for the two countries to minimize conflict factors, build results of cooperation, and promote sustainable qualitative growth based on trust.
Minister Cho recalled that they agreed to accelerate preparations for the trilateral summit at the Korea-Japan-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in November last year and proposed advancing follow-up discussions for this purpose, and Minister Wang expressed support for the efforts of Korea, the chair country. expressed.
The two Ministers also agreed to closely consult to ensure that consultative bodies such as the Korea-China Foreign Affairs and Security Dialogue, Vice Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, and 1.5 Track Dialogue can be held at an early date.
The two Ministers also agreed that cooperation, including stable supply chain management, is important between the two countries in a changing trade environment, and that they should seek new development engines by deepening trade investment between the two countries.
In addition, the two ministers also discussed North Korean nuclear and North Korean issues.
Minister Cho expressed concern that North Korea has continued to engage in various provocations since the beginning of the year, heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and that it continues to pursue nuclear and missile development and military cooperation with Russia, which are prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions. He urged China to strengthen its constructive role so that North Korea can stop further provocations and take the path of denuclearization.
Minister Cho also conveyed domestic and foreign concerns about the forcible repatriation of North Korean defectors and requested special cooperation from the Chinese government so that North Korean defectors can go to their desired destinations without being forcibly repatriated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.