S. Korean, Chinese senior officials convene in Seoul amid Putin's NK trip

(From left) Deputy Director of the Office of International Military Cooperation of the Central Military Commission Zhang Baoqun; Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong; South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun; Director General of the International Policy Bureau at the South Korean Defense Ministry Lee Seung-buhm pose for group photography at the Korea-China Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue held at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

South Korea and China held a high-level diplomatic and security dialogue on Tuesday in Seoul, elevating the talks from the director-general to the vice-ministerial level based on an agreement between their leaders, reflecting an atmosphere of thawing ties.

The "Korea-China Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue" commenced at 3 p.m. for the first time since 2015 at a critical juncture, coinciding with the first day of Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to Pyongyang, his first trip there in 24 years.

The two countries were set to "exchange opinions on issues of mutual interest such as bilateral relations, Korean Peninsula issues and regional and global affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said Tuesday during a press briefing.

Lim added that both sides were expected to "discuss matters related to cooperation between Russia and North Korea" given the timing of the meeting.

South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong attended the meeting as chief delegates.

From the military side, Director General of the International Policy Bureau at the South Korean Defense Ministry Lee Seung-buhm and Deputy Director of the Office of International Military Cooperation of the Central Military Commission Zhang Baoqun participated.

The dialogue resumed following a meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the Ninth Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Summit, where they agreed to activate communication channels between Korea and China in diplomacy and security.

In stark contrast to South Korea's severed ties with Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, South Korea and China have been warming their relations this year by continuing high-level exchanges.

Xin Changxing, secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, is scheduled to visit Korea on Wednesday and Thursday.

According to Lim, Jiangsu Province boasts the second-largest economy among local governments in China and "maintains the closest trade and investment relations with South Korea."

During this visit, Secretary Xin is expected to meet with high-ranking officials and engage in activities related to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy as well as local governments.

"This visit by a high-ranking official from a Chinese local government is taking place amidst the continued trend of high-level exchanges between Korea and China," Lim stated.

Lim also explained that Xin's visit to South Korea is "expected to contribute to the enhancement of substantial cooperation between the two countries."

In April, Hao Peng, the party secretary of Liaoning province in China, which shares a border with North Korea, made a trip to South Korea -- the first by a Chinese provincial secretary to South Korea since the outbreak of COVID-19.

By Ji Da-gyum(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)