China's Wang Yi expected to visit South Korea in August
· UPIJuly 29 (Asia Today) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to visit South Korea for two days in August for talks likely to focus on bilateral relations and North Korea's nuclear program, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.
South Korea and China have been coordinating a possible Aug. 19-20 visit by Wang, according to sources familiar with relations between the two countries.
The schedule has not been formally announced by either government.
Wang is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the party's Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs.
During the expected visit, Wang is likely to hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on bilateral issues, North Korea-China relations and broader developments on the Korean Peninsula.
A meeting with President Lee Jae Myung at the presidential office and talks with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young are also reportedly under consideration.
The trip would be the first visit to South Korea by a senior Chinese foreign and security policy official since Lee made a state visit to China in January and held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Lee's January visit was his first state visit to China since taking office.
Cho had previously said the two countries were seeking to arrange a foreign ministers' meeting during the first quarter of the year, but the meeting did not take place.
Wang instead visited North Korea in April and held talks with officials in Pyongyang. Xi followed with a state visit to North Korea in June.
The visits prompted concern in Seoul that Beijing was placing greater emphasis on restoring its influence over North Korea as part of its strategic competition with the United States.
Some observers also questioned whether China was becoming less willing to pressure Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program.
South Korea reportedly conveyed to Beijing that growing perceptions that China was tolerating North Korea's nuclear development were undesirable.
During Wang's expected visit, Seoul is likely to ask China to play a constructive role in stabilizing the Korean Peninsula.
South Korean officials are also expected to call for continued efforts toward denuclearization, peace and stability and the resolution of regional issues through dialogue and cooperation.
Taiwan could also be discussed during the foreign ministers' meeting.
South Korean and Chinese officials addressed the issue during director-general-level consultations in June, according to the report.
South Korea has maintained that it respects the "one China" position outlined when Seoul and Beijing established diplomatic relations in 1992.
Seoul, however, has also emphasized the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260729010010944