(LEAD) FM Cho says Korean Peninsula peace shared interest of S. Korea, China during talks with Wang Yi

Detailed summary

SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Friday that peace on t...

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead as talks take place; ADDS details throughout, new photo; TRIMS)By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Friday that peace on the Korean Peninsula serves the shared interests of South Korea and China during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, calling for stronger bilateral communication to advance the situation on the peninsula.

The ministerial talks took place in Beijing ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen next week, where President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet.

"The Korean Peninsula issue is a vital interest for South Korea, and peace and stability on the peninsula serve the shared interests of both countries," Cho said in his opening remarks.

"I hope the two countries will continue to strengthen strategic communication to make progress on the situation on the Korean Peninsula," he added, expressing hope that a meeting between the two leaders in Shenzhen would provide an opportunity to further develop their strategic cooperative partnership.

Wang said bilateral relations had returned to a normal track following the leaders' reciprocal visits last year and early this year, stressing the need to maintain high-level exchanges and further develop their strategic partnership.

Noting that bilateral trade is expected to reach a record high this year, he expressed hope that people-to-people exchanges would recover to around 10 million annually.

With the two countries hosting the APEC summit consecutively, Wang called for joint efforts to promote regional development and prosperity, expressing hope that the upcoming summit would give fresh momentum to bilateral ties.

South Korea hosted last year's APEC summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Yonhap. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.