SEOUL — China has announced it will appoint an "appropriate" and "excellent" person as the next ambassador to South Korea, acknowledging the importance of its diplomatic relationship with Seoul, an official at the South Korean foreign ministry said Thursday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Chinese remarks were made during high-level strategic talks between the vice foreign ministers of the two countries on Wednesday. This announcement follows the departure of Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming earlier this month. Xing had faced criticism over his negative comments regarding the Yoon Suk Yeol government's foreign policy. In June last year, the Chinese envoy remarked that "those who bet" on China's defeat in its rivalry with the U.S. "will definitely regret it."
During Wednesday's talks, the South Korean government emphasized the critical role of a new Chinese envoy during a period of frequent and close communication between South Korea and China, the Seoul official told reporters on condition of anonymity. The Chinese side responded by stating that Beijing will "appoint an appropriate and excellent candidate through internal procedures," recognizing South Korea as an important country. However, a Chinese official refrained from providing further details, such as whether Xing's successor has been chosen.
The discussions, which marked the first high-level talks since December 2021, saw First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun meet with his Chinese counterpart, Ma Zhaoxu, in Seoul. These talks come amid increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent trip to Pyongyang for summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Next week, South Korea and China will hold director-general level talks on economic cooperation in Beijing.