South Korea China Foreign Ministers Meeting 2026: Seoul Seeks Q1 Breakthrough on Maritime Standoff
South Korean FM Cho Hyun eyes a Q1 2026 meeting with China's Wang Yi to follow up on the recent Lee-Xi summit, focusing on maritime disputes and cultural exchange.
The handshake in Beijing was just the start. Now, Seoul's top diplomat is moving to turn words into action. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun announced on Tuesday that he's seeking a one-on-one meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, within the first quarter of 2026.
South Korea China Foreign Ministers Meeting 2026 Agenda
According to Yonhap, Cho shared this plan during a Cabinet meeting with President Lee Jae Myung on Jan. 20. The talks are expected to tackle thorny issues that have strained ties, specifically the Chinese steel structures in the Yellow Sea and the unofficial ban on Korean cultural exports. "We believe it is getting better," Cho told the President when asked about the progress of cultural exchanges.
Following Up on the Lee-Xi Summit
This upcoming meeting serves as a critical follow-up to the state visit by President Lee to Beijing earlier this month, where he met with President Xi Jinping. A key takeaway from that summit was the expectation that China would remove one of its three steel platforms in overlapping waters. The foreign ministry emphasized that the ministerial talks would broaden the scope to all pending bilateral concerns.
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