China Urges South Korea Neutrality

PHOTO CAPTION: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, August 19, 2026. Yonhap via REUTERS

SEOUL/BEIJING, Aug. 20 — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged South Korea not to take sides between Beijing and Washington, while blaming what he called U.S. “hostile” policy toward North Korea for tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Wang made the remarks Thursday during a meeting in Seoul with South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. He also met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during the visit.

“The fundamental solution to the tensions on the Korean Peninsula lies in addressing the root causes of the problem and urging the United States to abandon its hostile policy toward North Korea,” Xinhua quoted Wang as saying.

Wang said China hoped South Korea would “achieve genuine strategic autonomy, refrain from bloc confrontation and taking sides, and develop relations with major powers including China and the United States in parallel and without contradiction.”

His remarks came one day after President Donald Trump said he planned to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year and said North Korea possessed 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons.

Trump has also ordered Pentagon officials to cut back joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with Kim. The United States continues to officially call for North Korea’s denuclearization, a demand Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected.

South Korea on Thursday condemned North Korea’s launch of more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles and ordered its military to remain fully prepared as joint exercises with the United States continued.

“China would be glad to see the peninsula move toward peaceful coexistence between South Korea and North Korea,” Wang told Wi, calling for renewed dialogue and efforts to rebuild trust.

Wang also invited Wi to visit China, according to South Korea’s presidential office. Wi asked Beijing for constructive cooperation as Seoul pursues its North Korea policy.

South Korea is seeking to restart dialogue with Pyongyang while advocating a phased and pragmatic approach toward denuclearization, beginning with a halt to North Korea’s nuclear program.

China says relations with Seoul have recovered

In separate talks with Lee, Wang urged South Korea to maintain a friendly policy toward China and said bilateral relations had “fully recovered” and made progress this year after meetings between the two countries’ leaders.

“A rational, pragmatic, and positive policy towards China is entirely in line with South Korea’s interests and the trend of the times,” Wang said.

Wang also called for an early conclusion to the second phase of negotiations over the China-South Korea free trade agreement. He said the countries should promote regional economic integration as the global economy becomes more fragmented and trade protectionism increases, according to Xinhua.

Lee told Wang that China and South Korea had achieved tangible progress toward a “full restoration” of bilateral relations and pledged support for China’s hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen later this year, according to Lee’s office.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told parliament that Seoul was also pursuing a meeting between Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

(Source: Reuters)