Wang Yi starts South Korea, Indonesia trip
Crhk · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began a visit to South Korea and Indonesia on Wednesday, with the trip running through Saturday. In South Korea, he is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, call on President Lee Jae-myung and hold talks on bilateral ties, the Korean Peninsula and wider regional and international issues. South Korean officials also said Wang would meet National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac over lunch in Seoul. In Indonesia, Wang will chair the first meeting of the China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic dialogue mechanism and join Defence Minister Dong Jun at the second ministerial-level “2+2” foreign and defence ministers’ dialogue
Key Points
- Wang arrived in South Korea and held talks with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, with the two sides exchanging views on bilateral ties, peninsula tensions and international issues
- South Korea’s foreign ministry said Wang and Cho met in Seoul for four hours of talks and a dinner, their first foreign ministers’ meeting in 11 months
- The most closely watched outcome was Wang’s statement that China is actively considering a China-South Korea leaders’ meeting during the November APEC summit in Shenzhen
- Cho welcomed the proposal and accepted Wang’s invitation to visit China, with the timing of the trip to be coordinated by both foreign ministries
- During the Indonesia leg, Wang will lead the first comprehensive strategic dialogue and attend the second ministerial “2+2” meeting with Dong Jun on security and defence cooperation
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the trip points to Beijing’s effort to stabilise ties with key Asian partners while linking diplomacy to trade, supply chains and security coordination. The discussion of a possible leaders’ meeting at the November APEC gathering in Shenzhen also gives the region an early signal of how China may use multilateral events to manage nearby strategic relationships