China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi cautioned his South Korean counterpart, Park Jin, against the politicization of economic and technological issues during their preparation for a trilateral meeting with Japan aimed at bolstering cooperation.
In a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang said to Park, "China and South Korea have become cooperative partners with highly integrated interests and deeply intertwined production and supply chains."
He stressed the importance of jointly resisting tendencies to politicize economic matters and to avoid the security characterization of trade and technology issues.
South Korea is navigating a delicate balance amid the ongoing semiconductor dispute between China and the United States.
Wang, speaking on Sunday, stated, "China is ready to jointly work on promoting the resumption of trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan."
As China and the United States work towards mending their strained relations, including the recent summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, Beijing is wary of Washington and its key allies in the region consolidating a tripartite partnership.
China, Tokyo, and Seoul agreed to hold annual summits starting in 2008 to enhance diplomatic and economic exchange.
However, the plan has been postponed due to bilateral disputes and the COVID-19 pandemic, with the last leaders' level meeting held in 2019.
The three foreign ministers are meeting in the coastal city of Busan, South Korea, marking the first such gathering since 2019.
In September, senior officials from the three countries agreed to arrange a tripartite summit at the "earliest suitable time."
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