1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who is on a visit to the Philippines to attend ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ meetings, met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on August 6, and engaged in in-depth and candid discussions on issues of mutual interest, including the ROK-China relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The two Ministers said that though the relations between the ROK and China, marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations, are facing difficulties, the two countries will continue communications to improve the bilateral relations, making best use of various opportunities, including the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries.

3. The two Ministers also exchanged views on the deployment of THAAD.

o Minister Wang conveyed China’s basic position on the THAAD deployment, and Minister Kang stressed that amid the growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, the latest step taken by the ROK government is an unavoidable one to deter additional provocations by North Korea and protect the lives and safety of Korean people.

4. The two Ministers emphasized that North Korea’s continued provocations last month, which it claimed were ICBM launches, are posing a serious threat to security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and agreed on the need to step up joint efforts to fundamentally resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

o In this regard, Minister Kang took note that China actively participated in the adoption of new Security Council Resolution 2371, and asked the Chinese side to continue to play an important role in the international community’s firm responses to North Korea’s provocations.

o Minister Wang said that China will continue to make efforts to solve the North Korean nuclear problem, including faithfully implementing relevant Security Council resolutions, and that in the China-North Korea Foreign Ministers’ meeting held on the same day, he made it clear to the North Korean side that China opposes North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons.

5. The meeting marked the first ROK-China Foreign Ministers’ meeting since the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in government. As the meeting took place amid the grave security situation on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea’s launches of ICBM-level missiles, the two Ministers shared the view that the meeting was useful and agreed to continue communications on various occasions.


* unofficial translation