Differences in Beijing

[Anchor Lead]

The foreign ministers of South Korea and China met in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss their upcoming bilateral summit slated for next month and the North Korean nuclear issue. The two sides have expressed some differences on virtually every issue. Here's more.

[Pkg]

The foreign ministers of South Korea and China met ahead of the upcoming bilateral summit, which is to take place next month. At the meeting, South Korea stressed swift restoration of bilateral ties and exchanges, while China demanded that Korea carry out its promises made last month regarding the deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system.

[Soundbite] Kang Kyung-hwa(S. Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs) : "I hope that this visit will help solve difficulties that Korean businesses face in China and restore bilateral exchanges ahead of President Moon Jae-in's visit."

[Soundbite] Wang Yi(Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs) : "It is important for China that South Korea does not join the U.S. missile defense system and deploy the THAAD system only temporarily without jeopardizing China's national security interests."

At the meeting and subsequent dinner, which lasted five hours, the ministers of the two countries shared their views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirmed their commitment to resolving the North Korea nuclear crisis in a peaceful way through dialogue. China also briefed the South Korean minister of foreign affairs on the recent visit to North Korea by Chinese envoy Song Tao and conveyed its stance on Washington's decision to designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. The two sides have agreed to use all diplomatic means to keep North Korea from conducting additional provocations for as long as possible so that the upcoming Winter Olympics in PyeongChang next February can bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. During her three-day visit to China, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa also met with the chairperson of the National People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, Fu Ying, who served as a senior Chinese envoy to the six-party nuclear talks. However, she did not meet with other high-ranking Chinese officials, such as the director of the Foreign Affairs Leading Group Office, Yang Jiechi, before returning to Korea on Thursday morning.