Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing welcomed South and North Korea moving towards peaceful coexistence and called on Washington to change its “hostile policy” on Pyongyang.
In talks with his counterpart Cho Hyun in Seoul on Wednesday, Wang said China was “always committed to playing a constructive role in the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula”, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry.
But he sidestepped a reporter’s question after the meeting about whether Beijing could help broker a summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to local media reports.
“That is a matter for North Korea and the United States to decide,” Wang said. “In particular, the US should change the hostile policy towards North Korea that it has maintained for a long time.”
During the talks, Wang urged South Korea – an ally of the United States – to maintain its autonomy on foreign policy, according to the Chinese readout.
“We hope that South Korea will proceed from its own fundamental interests and develop its external relations in an independent, autonomous, balanced and non-conflicting manner,” Wang said.