China’s Wang Yi in Seoul as Trump pushes for renewed North Korea diplomacy

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Seoul on Wednesday to engage in discussions with South Korean officials, following the scaling back of joint military drills between Seoul and Washington. The U.S. President, Donald Trump, is actively working to reinvigorate diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Wang Yi is set to hold a meeting and dinner with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, with both parties expected to discuss bilateral ties, issues concerning the Korean Peninsula, and regional affairs.

On Thursday, Wang Yi will meet with South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung. He will also have talks and a luncheon with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac. While China, North Korea's only formal treaty ally, has not directly commented on Trump's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated China's long-standing stance on the Korean Peninsula during a regular news briefing.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized that maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and promoting a political settlement of the issue is in the common interests of all parties.

Earlier in the day, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun indicated that the Foreign Ministry was pursuing multilateral talks involving parties to the 1950-53 Korean War, with the aim of establishing lasting peace on the peninsula. Cho also mentioned that the Foreign Ministry was planning a summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen later this year.