Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 24, 2016. (Photo: Xinhua/Ma Ping)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday reiterated China's firm opposition to the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea and called on Seoul to properly handle the issue.
Wang made the remarks at a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of the eighth China-Japan-South Korea foreign ministers' meeting held here on Wednesday.
Wang stressed that China never accepts any acts that undermine its strategic and security interests, hoping that South Korea can weigh pros and cons, and work in the same direction with China to seek a solution to the issue acceptable to both sides.
Today marks the 24th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, Wang said, highlighting that the bilateral relations have witnessed great progress and achievements ever since, bringing benefits to the two countries and two peoples and contributing to the stability in the region.
Noting that China-South Korea relations face difficulties and challenges at present, Wang called on both sides to cherish more what they have achieved and not to allow fruits of cooperation between the two countries to be affected or damaged.
Wang said South Korea is an important member of the Group of 20 (G20) and China welcomes South Korean President Park Geun-hye attending the G20 summit to be held in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Sept. 4-5.
Yun Byung-se, for his part, said the eighth China-Japan-South Korea foreign ministers' meeting, held in the run-up to the G20 Hangzhou summit, is of great significance.
South Korea will work with China to ensure the success of the upcoming summit so as to make its due contribution to the development of the world economy, he said.
Great progress has been made in various fields since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, especially over the past three years, Yun said, adding that South Korea is willing to enhance mutual trust and see greater progress in bilateral relations.
He also congratulated China on its achievements in the just-concluded Rio Olympic Games.
They also exchanged views on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula.
