Vice foreign ministers of South Korea and China held their first high-level strategic talks in more than two years on Wednesday amid deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and his Chinese counterpart, Ma Zhaoxu, held the meeting in Seoul to discuss bilateral cooperation on key regional and global issues, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.

It marked the first such high-level talks since December 2021, when the two countries held a vice foreign ministerial meeting via video link.

The talks come amid growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Pyongyang last month for summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Discussions covered a wide range of issues, including peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, regional and global security situations, and ways to enhance bilateral relations, the ministry said.

The Korean side expressed grave concerns over a comprehensive strategic
deal signed between Moscow and Pyongyang in June requiring each country to provide aid to the other if one of them is attacked and to boost economic cooperation.

Seoul also called on Beijing to play a “constructive” role for the peace, stability and denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

China said it will play a “constructive” role in resolving tensions on the Korean peninsula while sticking to its existing policies toward the peninsula.

The talks follow the agreement to reactivate diplomatic and security communication channels between the two countries after President Yoon Suk Yeol had a one-on-one meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the trilateral summit with Japan in May.

The latest move is seen as a reflection of China’s intention to maintain strategic cooperation with South Korea, especially in light of North Korea and Russia’s increasing military alliance and comprehensive cooperation.

Source: Yonhap News Agency