Chinese and South Korean foreign ministers hold first call since Seoul martial law crisis

Beijing has pledged to continue to promote close communication “in various fields” with Seoul despite its current political turmoil, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yeol on Tuesday.

The 30-minute call marks the first publicly-acknowledged ministerial conversation between Beijing and Seoul after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law imposition earlier this month, a crisis that continues to destabilise South Korean politics.

“China has taken note of recent changes in the domestic situation in South Korea … China adheres to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and believes that South Korean people have the wisdom and ability to properly handle domestic issues,” a Chinese foreign ministry statement said, citing Wang’s speech.

“China is also willing to continue to make good use of bilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms in various fields, strengthen interactions at all levels and people-to-people exchanges, and enhance mutual understanding and trust with South Korea.”

Cho told Wang, “there is no change in our government’s position to continue developing the [South] Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership, even under the acting presidential system”, according to a readout from the South Korean foreign ministry.

The ministry said Beijing and Seoul would conduct further diplomatic communication through “director-level consultations”.

They also touched on trilateral cooperation between Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo. The ministers agreed that “China-Japan-South Korea cooperation is conducive to the respective development of the three countries and regional peace, stability and prosperity”, according to the Chinese readout which said Wang and Cho vowed to work together to strengthen the cooperation.

Wang and Cho discussed the broader situation in the Korean peninsula involving North Korea and agreed to continue with strategic communication.

  

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