China is actively considering a summit with South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in Shenzhen in November. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised the possibility in Seoul during talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
The meeting also produced a new opening for ministerial contact. Wang invited Cho to visit China, and the South Korean minister accepted, creating another channel for the two governments to continue their bilateral agenda.
Both ministers agreed to expand exchanges between their populations. China and South Korea expect combined travel in both directions to surpass 10 million visits, giving mobility and public contact a prominent place in the relationship.
The economic agenda covers negotiations on services and investment under the bilateral free trade agreement. The two sides also identified supply-chain stability, cultural exchanges and the arrival of Chinese pandas as areas for continued cooperation.
Cho asked Beijing to play a constructive role in bringing North Korea back to dialogue as soon as possible. Wang said China's policy toward the Korean Peninsula remained consistent and expressed hope that North and South Korea could coexist peacefully.
Wang also called for healthy, stable and sustainable relations between Beijing and Seoul. He urged South Korea to pursue an independent foreign policy based on its fundamental interests and to develop its relationships with different countries in parallel without placing them in conflict.
