Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded a two-day visit to Seoul on Friday, meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. Wang declined to back South Korea’s push for multiparty peace talks with the North, urging Seoul instead to pursue strategic autonomy and handle relations with Washington and Beijing compatibly.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up a two-day official visit to Seoul on Friday following high-level talks with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at Cheong Wa Dae. The trip marked Wang’s first solo visit to South Korea in five years, following his attendance at bilateral talks in September 2021, and came just months after reciprocal state visits by the two nations’ heads of state.
While both governments acknowledged that bilateral ties had fully recovered
following years of strain, Wang delivered a direct diplomatic message to his South Korean counterparts regarding regional security alignments and relations with the United States.
Strategic Autonomy and the U.S. Alliance
During meetings with President Lee, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Wang urged Seoul to pursue genuine strategic autonomy
and avoid bloc confrontation or taking sides
(according to the foreign ministry in Beijing). He emphasized that South Korea should develop relations with Beijing and Washington in a mutually compatible manner
.
The discussions followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea while calling for renewed dialogue with Pyongyang. However, North Korea responded to the shifting dynamics by launching more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, prompting an emergency security meeting by the presidential office in Seoul.
Chinese statements notably omitted any reference to denuclearisation
on the Korean peninsula, despite requests from South Korean officials for Beijing to help restart talks. Instead, Wang told Wi Sung-lac that the United States should abandon its hostile policy
toward the North. He declined to endorse President Lee’s push for multiparty peace talks, stating instead that Beijing hoped the two Koreas could move towards peaceful coexistence
and achieve enduring peace and stability
.
Expert Reactions and Regional Stakes
Regional analysts offered mixed interpretations of the visit’s impact on South Korean diplomacy. Choo Jae-woo, a professor of China studies at Kyung Hee University, argued that the visit fell short of Seoul’s diplomatic goals.
“Wang Yi’s visit to Seoul this time dealt a low blow to the South Korean government, though officials unfortunately do not see it that way.”
Choo Jae-woo, professor of China studies at Kyung Hee University, via Thestar
Choo noted that South Korean officials had taken Wang’s remarks selectively, using them to its own advantage, often out of context
, while missing signals that Beijing is increasingly ready to embrace North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s two-state policy. He added that Wang’s warnings regarding Seoul’s alliance with Washington and its pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines marked a turning point in China’s policy, effectively signaling a rejection of unification in favor of entrenching permanent division.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international affairs at Renmin University in Beijing, observed that while Beijing seeks to deepen alienation between Washington and Seoul, its indulgence of North Korea’s nuclear and missile build-up complicates those diplomatic efforts. Paik Woo-yeal, a professor and deputy director of the Yonsei Institute of North Korean Studies in Seoul, characterized the visit as more ceremonial than substantive
, noting that Wang reiterated standard strategic positions without addressing Seoul’s demands for stronger Chinese pressure on Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
Economic Ties and Future Bilateral Exchanges
Economic and trade cooperation remained a key point of alignment during the meetings. President Lee highlighted strong growth momentum in commerce, noting that people-to-people exchanges between the two countries are expected to exceed 10 million this year (per the Xinhua News Agency).
Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, bilateral trade volume has increased more than 60 times. China has remained South Korea’s largest trading partner for 21 consecutive years.
Looking ahead to upcoming multilateral events, President Lee stated his intention to visit Shenzhen City in November for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, viewing it as an opportunity to advance the strategic cooperative partnership. Wang urged Seoul to use the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year to drive further progress, while also calling on both nations to conclude the second phase of Free Trade Agreement negotiations at an early date to counter global economic fragmentation.
По теме
