South Korea tells China it wants to normalise ties, upgrade economic relations

Sign up now: Get STs newsletters delivered to your inbox

Printed Chinese and South Korean flags are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

SEOUL - South Korea hopes to normalise relations with China that have been strained in recent years, a special envoy from Seoul told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday, and agreed to boost economic cooperation, Seouls foreign ministry said.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung sent a special delegation led by former parliament speaker Park Byeong-seug to his countrys main trading partner as he travels to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.

Lee arrived in Washington early on Monday.

Park told Wang he hoped the countries would work together to open the door to normalising South Korea-China relations, which have been strained in recent years, according to his comments relayed by South Korean TV.

Park handed Wang a letter from Lee to Chinese President Xi Jinping and invited Xi to the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping in October, South Koreas foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Wang welcomed the delegations visit and appreciated the message of developing ties between the countries, the ministry said.

(South Koreas) new government will pursue a mature development of South Korea-China strategic cooperation partnership based on national interest while continuing to develop the South Korea-U.S. alliance, Park said.

The two sides agreed to work towards substantive progress on economic and supply chain cooperation, the ministry said.

In a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang said that development of both countries ties has shown that good neighbourliness, seeking common ground