SEOUL, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Seoul on Wednesday for talks with South Korean officials, media reported, after Seoul and Washington scaled back joint military drills amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to revive diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Wang is due to hold talks and a dinner with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun later on Wednesday. The two are expected to discuss bilateral ties, Korean Peninsula issues and regional affairs, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.
On Thursday, Wang is scheduled to meet President Lee Jae Myung. He will also hold talks and a luncheon with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, according to the presidential office.
The visit comes after South Korea and the United States scaled back joint military exercises, with Trump saying he ordered the changes because of his relationship with Kim and signalling his willingness to meet the North Korean leader again.
China, North Korea’s only formal treaty ally, has not commented directly on Trump’s remarks, but on Wednesday reiterated its long-standing position on the Korean Peninsula.
“Maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and promoting the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue is in the common interests of all parties,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular news briefing, when asked about Trump’s intervention to cut short the U.S.-South Korean military drills.
Speaking in parliament earlier on Wednesday, Cho said he expected to discuss Korean Peninsula issues with Wang, including recent developments surrounding the military exercises.
Cho also said the Foreign Ministry was pursuing a summit between Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen later this year.
Wang’s visit also comes after Lee proposed multilateral talks involving parties to the 1950-53 Korean War on ways to establish a lasting peace on the peninsula.
Lee is expected to attend the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November.
(Reporting by Kyu-seok Shim in Seoul and Ethan Wang in BeijingEditing by Ed Davies)
