Top S. Korean, Chinese diplomats meet amid N. Korea tensions
ABC News
The foreign ministers of South Korea and China are meeting for talks expected to focus on North Korea and other regional security issues
SEOUL, South Korea -- The foreign ministers of South Korea and China met Wednesday for talks expected to focus on North Korea and other regional security issues, two days after North Korea claimed to have tested a newly developed cruise missile.
North Korea said Monday it had successfully tested the missile twice over the weekend that it said hit targets 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away, a range that is enough to strike all of Japan including U.S. military bases there. It was North Korea’s first weapons launch in six months and came amid a stalemate in its nuclear diplomacy with the United States.
On Wednesday, South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong was expected to ask China to play a more active role in persuading North Korea to return to the nuclear negotiations during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Seoul.
While there are questions about China’s influence on North Korea, Beijing is still North Korea’s last major ally and aid benefactor. More than 90% of North Korea’s trade goes through China, though bilateral trade volume has nosedived since North Korea closed its international borders early last year at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
