On June 18, Senior diplomatic and defense officials from South Korea and China will meet in Seoul to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual interest.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense on June 17, the two countries will hold a Korea-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue with First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kim Hong Kyun and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Sun Weidong as the chief representatives. The South Korea-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, a 2+2 format attended by diplomatic and defense personnel, will be attended by Director-General of International Policy Lee Seung Beom and Deputy Director of the Central Military Commission’s Office for International Military Cooperation Major General Zhang Baoqun.
The dialogue was held following an agreement at a bilateral meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the South Korea-China-Japan summit last month.
The South Korea-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue was initially established in June 2013 following a South Korea-China summit and was held once each in Beijing and Seoul in 2013 and 2015 at the ministerial level. However, it was suspended after 2016 due to the decision to deploy the U.S. THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, which led to a significant cooling of Korea-China relations.
Amid this, both countries are reactivating the meeting body by upgrading the rank to vice-ministerial level this time. They are expected to exchange views on the possibility of regularizing it in the future.
There is speculation that the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea will also be one of the agenda items.
In particular, South Korea is expected to ask China to play a constructive role concerning the deepening of illegal arms trade and other close ties between North Korea and Russia, as well as the heightening of North Korea’s threat to South Korea.
On the contrary, China is expected to seek reaffirmation of South Korea’s position on the Taiwan issue, one of its top diplomatic priorities.
It is expected to emphasize the principle of One China, a policy that states the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan are indivisible, and the only legitimate government is the People’s Republic of China, and ask for South Korea’s more advanced attitude on this issue.
Regarding the dialogue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense explained, “The two countries plan to exchange views on bilateral relations, the Korean Peninsula issue, and regional and international situations of mutual interest.”