On August 20, 2026, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi held a strategic dialogue with National Security Adviser of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Wi Sung-lac in Seoul.

Wang Yi stated that the exchange of visits between President Lee Jae Myung and President Xi Jinping since last year has ushered China-ROK relations into a new stage of improvement and development. China’s policy toward the ROK has remained consistent and stable, always placing it high on China’s agenda for neighborhood diplomacy. As the largest neighbor of the ROK and an important force for peace, China has never initiated or participated in wars and has consistently played a constructive role in promoting the peaceful settlement of international and regional disputes. China appreciates the current administration’s efforts to bring China-ROK strategic cooperative partnership back on track, calling on the two sides to enhance communication, build mutual trust, reduce unnecessary suspicion and strengthen strategic cooperation in fields including politics, economy, trade, and security, to benefit both peoples and contribute to regional peace and security. China hopes that the ROK will pursue genuine strategic autonomy, refrain from bloc confrontation or taking sides, and develop its relations with China, the United States and other major countries in a mutually compatible manner.

Wi Sung-lac said that the ROK and China are close neighbors sharing a long-standing and time-honored relationship. The successful mutual visits between the heads of state of the two countries since last year have further consolidated the momentum for the comprehensive restoration of bilateral ties. The ROK is ready to work with China to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, deliver tangible outcomes, improve the well-being of both peoples and advance the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership to a new level. The ROK is committed to developing relations with different countries in a mutually compatible manner and is ready to maintain close high-level strategic dialogue with China to join forces for regional peace and stability.

The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on regional security issues. Wang Yi elaborated on China’s principled position on regional and the Korean Peninsula issues, pointing out that it is necessary to remain highly vigilant against the rhetoric and actions of Japan’s right-wing forces that seek to turn back the wheel of history, and that the resurgence of Japanese militarism must never be allowed. On the Korean Peninsula situation, the fundamental way to ease tensions is to address the root causes and to push for the United States to abandon its hostile policy toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). All parties should do more to facilitate the resumption of dialogue and restoration of mutual trust. China hopes that the Korean Peninsula will move toward peaceful coexistence between the ROK and the DPRK, ultimately achieving transition from armistice to peace and ensuring enduring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.