Anchor: The leaders of South Korea and China met in Beijing and agreed on the need to deepen their strategic cooperative partnership in addressing regional security and economic issues. President Moon Jae-in, who is set to hold a trilateral summit with leaders from China and Japan on Tuesday, is also set to meet separately with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss their countries' ongoing trade row.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: President Moon Jae-in said recent developments, in which dialogue between the United States and North Korea is suspended and tensions on the Korean Peninsula are heightened, are not beneficial to South Korea, China and North Korea.

President Moon explained the position ahead of a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday and praised China's "important role" thus far in efforts to achieve denuclearization of and lasting peace on the peninsula.

Moon's remarks seeking a greater role from Beijing come as Pyongyang has threatened to take a "new way" other than stalled denuclearization talks with Washington by year's end unless the U.S. offers more concessions.

In an apparent reference to a recent bilateral row over the deployment of the U.S.' THAAD anti-missile system on the peninsula, Moon emphasized an everlasting history and culture shared between South Korea and China that keeps them close.

Moon then said he looks forward to meeting Xi again in Seoul in the near future.

Xi, for his part, said their countries share a common understanding in various areas, such as facilitating regional peace, stability and prosperity, as well as defending multilateralism and a free trade system, a likely reference to the U.S.-China trade war.

Referring to South Korea and China as "influential" countries in the world, Xi said they should further strengthen their strategic cooperative partnership.

On Tuesday, Moon will attend this year's trilateral summit with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

The three countries' trade ministers had earlier agreed to accelerate trilateral free trade talks launched in 2013 and join efforts to formally sign the mega Asia-Pacific trade pact known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership next year.

On the sidelines of Tuesday's trilateral summit, Moon and Abe will meet separately and seek to resolve their countries' trade dispute that is apparently linked to enduring colonial-era grievances.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.