ISTANBUL

Seoul on Friday reiterated invitation for a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to South Korea for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this year, Yonhap News reported.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul renewed the invitation during his bilateral talks with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Tokyo, which took place one day prior to the scheduled trilateral foreign ministers' meeting that included Japan.

"We will work together to ensure that President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea on the occasion of the APEC summit in Gyeongju serves as a new turning point in bilateral relations," Cho said.

"We hope to promote mutually beneficial and practical cooperation projects that will contribute to improving the livelihoods of people in both countries when President Xi pays a visit," the South Korean minister added.

Cho and Wang Yi last met for discussions during the UN General Assembly in New York in September last year.

Wang said China and South Korea were "inseparable neighbors" and stressed on need for maintaining "frequent exchanges" to boost bilateral ties.

"China and South Korea can each make significant contributions to the peace and stability of our region and the world," Wang said.

During the talks, the two sides agreed that both sides should collaborate to "deepen mutual understanding between their peoples and elevate substantive cooperation between the two countries to a higher level."

The two sides also agreed to closely collaborate in strengthening Korea-China economic cooperation, including by speeding up negotiations on services and investment under the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement.

Cho asked China to play a constructive role in addressing the Korean Peninsula issue and encourage North Korea to pursue denuclearization.

Wang Yi responded that China’s stance on the Korean Peninsula issue remains consistent and that it will continue to play a constructive role going forward.