Photo: CFP

China is willing to work with South Korea to enhance mutual trust, remove disruptions, deepen cooperation, achieve mutual success, and jointly contribute to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Tuesday at the latter's request.

China and South Korea are important neighbors and close cooperative partners. China has always attached importance to its relations with South Korea, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Wang noted that South Korea and China will host the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting successively in 2025 and 2026. It is hoped that the two sides will support each other, further build consensus among all parties, strengthen solidarity and coordination, uphold the international trade system, adhere to the concept of multilateralism, advance the process of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), and make positive efforts toward building an Asia-Pacific community, Wang said.

For his part, Cho said that South Korea attaches great importance to developing relations with China and will do its utmost to this end. The South Korean side looks forward to taking the opportunity of hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to promote high-level exchanges between the two countries and deepen exchanges and cooperation, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's statement.

Global Times