SEOUL, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that Beijing was “actively considering” a summit between the leaders of South Korea and China at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen in November, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.
He made the comment at a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun during a visit to Seoul, the ministry said in a statement.
Wang also invited Cho to visit China, and Cho accepted the invitation, the ministry said.
The ministers agreed to continue efforts to expand people-to-people exchanges, as the two countries forecast total travel between them to exceed 10 million visits, according to the ministry.
They also agreed on cooperation in various sectors, including negotiations for service and investment sectors under the South Korea-China free trade agreement, supply-chain stabilisation, cultural exchange, as well as the adoption of Chinese pandas.
Cho urged China to play a constructive role in bringing North Korea back to dialogue as soon as possible, the ministry said.
Wang said China has been consistent in its policy regarding the Korean Peninsula, adding that he hoped for the peaceful coexistence of the two Koreas.
Separately, Chinese state media Xinhua reported that Wang called for “healthy, stable, and sustainable” ties between China and South Korea during the visit.
Wang said he hopes South Korea, based on its fundamental interests, pursues an independent foreign policy and develops relations with other countries in parallel without conflict, the report added.
(Reporting by Heejin Kim, Brenda Goh and Jasmeen Ara Shaikh; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Joyjeet Das)
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