1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who is on a visit to New York to attend the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, met with State Councilor and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi on September 26, and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, including the Republic of Korea-China relations, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. Minister Kang and State Councilor Wang took note that the two countries had recently had frequent contacts at each level, and closely consulted on issues on the Korean Peninsula, as well as issues between the two countries. They also agreed to further strengthen the momentum for developing the ROK-China relations through high-level exchanges, and bilateral meetings to be held on the occasions of multilateral meetings in the second half of the year.

3. Furthermore, Minister Kang and State Councilor Wang shared their assessments of the latest progress in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the inter-Korean summit in Pyeongyang, and discussed how the ROK and China can work together going forward.

o Minister Kang explained the results of the inter-Korean summit in Pyeongyang, and asked China to continue to play a constructive role to achieve complete denuclearization, and to establish a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

o State Councilor Wang spoke highly of the efforts of President Moon Jae-in and the ROK government to improve inter-Korean relations, and to make progress in negotiations on the denuclearization of North Korea, as well as their achievements in such efforts. He also offered to continue close communications and cooperation between the ROK and China to ensure that an improvement in inter-Korean relations, and US-North Korea talks give impetus to each other, and thereby resolve issues on the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.

4. The ROK-China Foreign Ministers’ meeting, which came about one and a half months after the last bilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting held on August 3 on the occasion of the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ meetings, served as a good opportunity to maintain the momentum of robust high-level exchanges between the two countries, and to strengthen communications on the situations on the Korean Peninsula, and in the region.

* unofficial translation