South Korea hopes to normalize its relations with China, which have been strained in recent years, said former South Korean parliament speaker Park Byung-seok, who arrived at the head of a delegation in Beijing, during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday, Reuters reported, citing the foreign ministry in Seoul, BTA reported.
The statement said the two countries had agreed to strengthen economic cooperation.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myeon sent the delegation to China at a time when he himself left for Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump.
Park told Wang that they hoped the two countries would work together to “open the door to normalization of South Korea-China relations“, said the statement carried by South Korean television.
Seoul's envoy delivered a letter from Lee Jae-myung to Chinese President Xi Jinping inviting him to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in October.
Wang welcomed the delegation and appreciated the message of developing relations between the two countries, the statement said.
At the meeting, Park said that “The new government (of South Korea) will strive for the mature development of the strategic cooperative partnership between South Korea and China based on national interests, while continuing to develop the alliance between South Korea and the United States“.
The two sides agreed to work towards achieving substantial progress in cooperation in the economy and supply chains.
A statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wang said the development of ties between the two countries has shown that good-neighborliness and seeking common ground while preserving differences and expanding cooperation are the "right choice."
The Chinese foreign minister added that China's policy is to maintain stability and continuity in relations with South Korea, and called on both sides to "improve national sentiments and properly manage sensitive elements" to ensure steady progress in bilateral relations.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries improved after a 2017 dispute over the deployment of a US missile system in South Korea, which Beijing opposed.
However, Beijing and Seoul exchanged sharp words in 2023 after former South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol made critical remarks about Beijing.