Seoul: The top diplomats of South Korea and China are expected to hold talks later this month on the sidelines of their trilateral meeting with the Japanese foreign minister, according to sources on Sunday.
The three neighbours are in the final stages of arranging talks among their foreign ministers on March 22 in Tokyo, the first such meeting in 16 months, according to the diplomatic sources, Yonhap news agency reported.
On the sidelines of the trilateral talks, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, are expected to hold a separate meeting.
Seoul and Beijing have been discussing Wang’s visit to South Korea on the occasion of his Tokyo trip, but it reportedly remains unclear whether he will visit South Korea.
If no progress is made, Cho and Wang are likely to hold talks in the Japanese capital.
The meeting, if held, would mark the first since September last year when they met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
A number of diplomatic issues between the two countries could be discussed during the meeting.
After Cho and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts expressed joint “support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in appropriate international organisations” in a joint statement last month, China lodged a complaint, calling it interference with its sovereignty.
The meeting could also delve into the tariff increases by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, anti-Chinese sentiment among South Korea’s conservative forces and a potential visit to South Korea’s ancient city of Gyeongju by Chinese President Xi Jinping for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November, the report mentioned.
(IANS)
