Wang Yi Visits Seoul to Discuss Peace Regime and Trade

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conducted a two-day official visit to Seoul on August 19-20, 2026, marking his first standalone trip to South Korea in five years. During meetings with President Lee Jae Myung, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, Wang urged South Korea to maintain strategic autonomy and avoid taking sides in bloc confrontations between Beijing and Washington.

The visit focused on South Korea's proposal to initiate multiparty discussions to formally end the Korean War and replace the armistice system with a lasting peace regime. Wang pledged a constructive role for China but maintained that the United States must abandon its "hostile policy" toward North Korea to resolve root causes of regional tension. These talks coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to scale back joint military exercises and his announced plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.

On the economic front, Wang and Cho Hyun pushed for the early conclusion of the second phase of the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement to counter global trade protectionism. They identified new cooperation areas in artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and the green transition. Both nations are coordinating for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen this November, where Beijing is actively considering a summit between President Lee and President Xi Jinping.

The diplomatic engagement concluded as North Korea test-fired approximately 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, an action condemned by South Korea.