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South Korea’s foreign minister Park Jin will visit China for the first time on Monday as President Yoon Suk-yeol‘s government seeks to reassure Xi Jinping of their relationship despite stronger ties with the U.S.
What Happened: Jin will be in China for a three-day visit, during which he will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the eastern port city of Qingdao, Seoul’s foreign ministry said, according to Reuters.
South Korea’s foreign minister is the first high-level official to travel to China since Yoon’s government took office in May.
The developments came after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s visit to Taiwan last week that angered Xi’s government, which claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island. After her visit to Taiwan, Pelosi went to South Korea to meet the political leaders.
President Yoon, who was on vacation at the time of the visit, held a phone call with Pelosi, for which he also faced criticism from lawmakers, some from his ruling party. However, his office later replied that the decision was made considering national interests, and Beijing did not pressure the government.
Park said his trip to China would be a chance to reduce misunderstandings and boost cooperation with Beijing in areas including trade, health, and the environment.
“By actively promoting strategic high-level communication, we can have better understanding of each other, reduce unnecessary misunderstanding and expand common interests,” he said at a news conference.
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