Seoul, Beijing reaffirm cooperation despite speculated rift over Taiwan's e-arrival label
Published: 21 Apr. 2026, 17:51
Updated: 21 Apr. 2026, 18:15
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- MICHAEL LEE
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina speaks during a Foreign Ministry event in Seoul on Dec. 23, 2025. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/21/68df5edc-b2bf-4f4e-8159-bc862ab981f2.jpg)
Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina speaks during a Foreign Ministry event in Seoul on Dec. 23, 2025. [NEWS1]
South Korea and China reaffirmed cooperation in economic and veterans’ affairs on Tuesday, even as speculation persists over a possible strain in their relationship.
South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina met with Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Yan Dong for the 29th session of the bilateral Joint Economic Commission in Beijing on Monday, where the two sides underscored the need to maintain stable supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry the following day.
They also discussed ways to expand bilateral investment and advance negotiations on services and investment under the two countries’ free trade agreement, the ministry said.
The session marked the first of the commission — a vice-minister-level economic dialogue dating back to 1992 — since December 2024.
Meanwhile, the South Korean Defense Ministry is due to hold a ceremony on Wednesday at Incheon International Airport to return the remains of Chinese soldiers killed fighting alongside North Korean forces during the 1950-53 Korean War.
The ceremony, which will see the return of 12 remains, will be held at the vice-ministerial level for the first time in three years to maintain momentum in bilateral ties, according to the ministry.
South Korea has already returned 1,011 sets of Chinese soldiers’ remains in 12 previous repatriations since 2014.
![A Chinese Y-20B strategic transport aircraft departs for South Korea on April 20 to carry back the remains of Chinese soldiers who were killed in fighting during the 1950-53 Korean War. [XINHUA/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/21/e468ab1b-ca96-4b32-a315-c2e97c5646f5.jpg)
A Chinese Y-20B strategic transport aircraft departs for South Korea on April 20 to carry back the remains of Chinese soldiers who were killed in fighting during the 1950-53 Korean War. [XINHUA/YONHAP]
Seoul signed an agreement with Beijing in 2013 to return the remains of Chinese soldiers recovered in South Korean territory. Under the agreement, the two sides consult each other annually before conducting repatriations.
Chinese state media reported that Beijing will deploy its Y-20B strategic transport aircraft to carry the remains to China, marking the first time the model has been used for a mission on South Korean soil.
However, the absence of other high-level exchanges has fueled speculation that Seoul’s relationship with Beijing is also under strain.
Although Lee Jong-seok, director of Seoul’s National Intelligence Service, was expected to travel with the South Korean delegation for talks in Beijing earlier this week, his visit was called off at the request of the Chinese government, according to multiple Korean reports that cited unnamed diplomatic officials.
The cancellation of Lee’s trip, as well as the lack of a potential visit to South Korea by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, were linked by these sources to Beijing’s objections to Seoul’s decision to remove the “China (Taiwan)” label from its K-ETA electronic arrival registration system.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in January he would seek to meet with Wang sometime “in the first quarter,” suggesting that Wang could travel to Seoul. A visit by Wang Yi could offer Seoul a chance to raise support for President Lee Jae Myung’s push to improve inter-Korean relations.
![North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, right, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during their meeting in Pyongyang on April 9 in this photo released by the North's state-controlled Korean Central News Agency the following day. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/04/21/311734bd-ee86-43db-b335-cc9bfaacdf05.jpg)
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, right, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during their meeting in Pyongyang on April 9 in this photo released by the North's state-controlled Korean Central News Agency the following day. [YONHAP]
But Wang instead undertook a surprise visit to Pyongyang from April 9 to 10, meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, which analysts saw as an effort by Beijing to reinforce ties with Pyongyang and coordinate its regional posture ahead of a planned summit between the U.S. and Chinese leaders in May.
South Korean officials have countered speculation of a diplomatic rift between Seoul and Beijing, saying that Lee and Wang’s visits had simply not been scheduled, adding that the change to the K-ETA system was a routine adjustment aimed at improving user convenience.
“Some of the reporting feels like chasing a ghost that doesn’t exist,” a senior official told the JoongAng Ilbo, cautioning against reading too much into “fragmentary developments.”
Another official noted that “if relations had truly deteriorated, Beijing would have been unlikely to proceed with inviting Seoul’s vice foreign minister for talks in the first place
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YOON JI-WON, MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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