(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead as talks take place; ADDS details throughout, new photo; TRIMS)
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Friday that peace on the Korean Peninsula serves the shared interests of South Korea and China during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, calling for stronger bilateral communication to advance the situation on the peninsula.
The ministerial talks took place in Beijing ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen next week, where President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet.
"The Korean Peninsula issue is a vital interest for South Korea, and peace and stability on the peninsula serve the shared interests of both countries," Cho said in his opening remarks.
"I hope the two countries will continue to strengthen strategic communication to make progress on the situation on the Korean Peninsula," he added, expressing hope that a meeting between the two leaders in Shenzhen would provide an opportunity to further develop their strategic cooperative partnership.
Wang said bilateral relations had returned to a normal track following the leaders' reciprocal visits last year and early this year, stressing the need to maintain high-level exchanges and further develop their strategic partnership.
Noting that bilateral trade is expected to reach a record high this year, he expressed hope that people-to-people exchanges would recover to around 10 million annually.
With the two countries hosting the APEC summit consecutively, Wang called for joint efforts to promote regional development and prosperity, expressing hope that the upcoming summit would give fresh momentum to bilateral ties.
South Korea hosted last year's APEC summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.
Friday's talks marked the first meeting between the two foreign ministers in about three months, following Wang's visit to Seoul in August.
At that 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.
Before departing for Beijing for a two-day visit earlier in the day, Cho said he and Wang planned to discuss issues that need to be coordinated ahead of the APEC summit, as well as North Korea-related matters, including the possibility of U.S.-North Korea talks.
Other issues on the agenda include pending bilateral matters, such as ways to enhance economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, as well as Chinese structures installed in the Yellow Sea.
The talks come amid deepening ties between China and North Korea, following Xi's visit to Pyongyang in June and a series of high-level exchanges between the two countries.
Wang accompanied Xi during his visit to the United States in August. He was also present during Kim's surprise visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong last month.
Inter-Korean relations, however, remain frozen. Pyongyang defines ties with Seoul as those between two hostile states and has rejected the Lee Jae Myung administration's calls for dialogue.
There has been speculation about a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during Trump's trip to Asia for the APEC summit, as the U.S. president has expressed interest in resuming dialogue with Pyongyang.
Asked whether he believes China is willing to mediate between Washington and Pyongyang, Cho expressed uncertainty over how actively Beijing might pursue such efforts.
"I don't think there is much chance of China actively inviting (Kim) to the APEC summit for talks, but it is still too early to tell," the minister said.
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.
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