Cho Hyun to visit China this week for talks with Wang Yi...discussing Xi Jinping's potential APEC visit to South Korea.

Scheduled to visit Beijing on the 17th... North Korean issues and West Sea structures also expected to be on the agenda.

Although it's Wang Yi's turn to visit South Korea, Cho Hyun is visiting China... "Not about sticking to order, but a practical approach."

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun [Yonhap News photo]

By Kim Ji-heon, Correspondent Jeong Sung-jo = Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is expected to visit China for the first time since taking office this week to discuss pending bilateral issues.

According to diplomatic sources on the 14th, Minister Cho is scheduled to visit Beijing around the 17th and meet with Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs, among others, to discuss various pending issues between South Korea and China.

If a South Korea-China foreign ministers' meeting is held, the primary focus is expected to be on Chinese President Xi Jinping's potential visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju in late October.

While China has not yet given a definitive answer, there is a high possibility of President Xi's attendance.

North Korean issues are also anticipated to be a major topic of discussion.

Concerns have been raised that China's stance of "no denuclearization of North Korea is acceptable" may have changed, as there was no mention of denuclearization during the North Korea-China summit held during China's Victory Day celebrations earlier this month. Minister Cho is expected to reaffirm the shared goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by both countries and repeatedly emphasize China's constructive role in achieving this.

Furthermore, structures that China has unilaterally installed in the Yellow Sea off the Korean coast are also expected to be brought up during discussions.

In an interview with The Washington Post after taking office, Minister Cho stated, "In Northeast Asia, another problem is that China is somewhat problematic for its neighboring countries," which was interpreted as a reference to the Yellow Sea structures in the context of South Korea-China relations.

The current administration, led by Lee Jae-myung, bases its foreign policy on strengthening the South Korea-US alliance and trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the US, and Japan, but it maintains that South Korea-China relations cannot be neglected.

During his first phone call with Minister Wang Yi in July after taking office, Minister Cho said, "South Korea highly values its relationship with China and looks forward to further developing the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries for the future through close high-level exchanges."

At that time, Minister Wang Yi stated, "We hope that South Korea's policy toward China will be stable, sustainable, and predictable, avoiding fluctuations," and added, "The relationship between South Korea and China should not be restricted by any third country." This was interpreted as a veiled message to South Korea regarding its participation in a US-led containment strategy against China.

Although former Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul visited China in May of last year, making it technically China's turn to visit South Korea, Minister Cho Hyun, having recently taken office, has reportedly expressed his intent not to be bound by protocol.

At a press conference last month, Minister Cho stated, "We aim to manage the South Korea-China relationship effectively through a practical approach, including mutual visits if necessary, rather than strictly adhering to specific orders or formalities."