S. Korean and Chinese leaders may hold bilateral talk in G20 Hangzhou Summit

Lim Sung-nam

A senior South Korean diplomat left for China on Wednesday, raising expectations that Seoul is seeking to arrange a bilateral summit between the leaders of the two countries on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 Hangzhou Summit.

Lim Sung-nam, vice foreign minister, will stay in Beijing until Thursday during which he will review overall issues related to the G20 gathering with his Chinese counterpart, Liu Zhenmin, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.

Their meeting agenda will include some discussion regarding a possible summit talk between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her counterpart, Xi Jinping, the ministry said.

Experts say South Korea and China will be looking for a breakthrough in resolving recent diplomatic conflicts occurring after Seoul's recent decision to deploy a U.S. advanced missile defense system despite Beijing’s strong objection.

China has voiced concerns that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system could be used against its own weaponry, while Seoul and Washington have claimed that the system is the only way to counter the North Korean threat.

The foreign ministry, however, said nothing has been decided on the possibility of the bilateral summit.

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