South Korea and China’s senior foreign and defense officials held talks on Tuesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit Pyongyang on the same day. 

The “two-plus-two” vice-ministerial diplomatic and security dialogue was held in Seoul with South Korea represented by first vice foreign minister Kim Hong-kyun and China by vice foreign minister Sun Weidong.

The talks also saw the participation of Lee Seung-beom, head of the defense ministry’s International Policy Bureau and Zhang Baoqun, deputy director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of China’s Central Military Commission. 

The two sides are said to have exchanged views on issues of mutual concern, including bilateral ties, Korean Peninsula affairs as well as regional and global issues. 

As attention is being drawn to whether the meeting touched on Putin’s expected visit to the North, South Korea is likely to have called on China to play a constructive role on North Korea issues and stressed the need for communication with Beijing for stability on the peninsula.