Foreign ministry to work for stable management of relations with China after G-7 summit

All News 10:34 June 22, 2021

SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will continue efforts to "stably manage" relations with China while taking into account the outcome of a Group of Seven (G-7) summit earlier this month, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry made the statement in a report submitted to the National Assembly amid speculation that South Korea's participation in the G-7 summit as a guest makes the country look like it has chimed in with the G-7 countries on their unified front against an assertive China.

Seoul officials have dismissed that viewpoint, saying that the G-7 sessions South Korea took part in had nothing to do with China issues and stressing that both the United States and China are important to South Korea.

The ministry reiterated the point Tuesday.

"Under our position that we seek to harmoniously develop the strategic cooperative partnership with China based on the South Korea-U.S. alliance, we intend to continue communication with Beijing," the ministry said in the report.

"Taking the content of the G-7 outcome into account, we plan to stably manage South Korea-China relations," it said.

The ministry will also continue communication and coordination with key countries so as to facilitate diplomatic reengagement with North Korea and to stably manage the situation on the Korean Peninsula, it added.

In the back-to-back talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on Monday, U.S. Special Representative Sung Kim said that the U.S. has offered to meet with the North "anywhere, anytime without preconditions," and hopes the North will "respond positively."