Follow-Up: Cho Hyun Says Seoul Conveyed "Second Yalta" Concern to Beijing in Talks with Wang Yi
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun briefed correspondents at the South Korean Embassy in Beijing on Nov. 14 on his talks the previous day with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, saying Seoul conveyed its concern that a meeting of the U.S., Chinese and Russian leaders could turn into a "second Yalta" if the Korean Peninsula is discussed without fully reflecting South Korea's will and interests.
Cho said he emphasized in the talks that South Korea, as the direct party to peace on the Peninsula, regards the Peninsula issue as a vital interest. Wang Yi agreed that peace and stability on the Peninsula serve China's interests, Cho said. A senior South Korean foreign ministry official added that "second Yalta" is a phrase used by South Korean media, and that China — which was itself unable to take part in the 1945 Yalta Conference — immediately understood Seoul's concern; the Chinese side replied that nothing would happen to harm South Korea's interests on the Peninsula issue.
Seoul also conveyed that the three leaders' meeting should not recognize North Korea as a nuclear-weapon state or produce conclusions contrary to the South Korean government's efforts to build a peace regime on the Peninsula. The two ministers also discussed North Korea-China exchanges and the prospects for a U.S.-North Korea summit. On the possibility of such a summit on the margins of the APEC meetings, a South Korean official said it was "possible, but not likely," citing the situation in the United States, President Donald Trump's will and whether Pyongyang would accept.
Cho said the two foreign ministers agreed to carry the momentum of the full restoration of China-South Korea relations into the APEC summit, and to continue working-level consultations to prepare concrete deliverables for a bilateral summit on the APEC margins, ahead of next year's 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties. He added that Beijing attaches great importance to President Lee Jae-myung's APEC visit to China and the summit, and said it would prepare carefully and extend special courtesy to the South Korean side.
The talks lasted about an hour and a half and were followed by a dinner. South Korean officials said no new agreements were announced immediately after the meeting; Seoul also raised pending issues including structures in the West Sea (Yellow Sea), and Beijing said it would respond in good faith.
(Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea)
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，中国外交部长王毅（俄罗斯总统府官网照片，CC BY 4.0）
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