By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday called for China to play a bigger role in reining in North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations, his office said, following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The two leaders held their first face-to-face, 25-minute meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 conference in Bali amid flaring tension over North Korean weapons tests.
Yoon expressed concerns that the isolated country has escalated tension with an unprecedented pace of nuclear and missile provocations, his office said in a statement.
“I hope China will play a more active, constructive role as a member of the U.N. Security Council and a neighbour,” Yoon was quoted as telling Xi.
Xi, in response, said both countries share common interests in Korean peninsula issues, and he hoped the South would actively improve its relations with the North, Yoon’s office said.
The two leaders agreed to speed up negotiations on the second phase of a bilateral free-trade agreement, according to Yoon’s office and China’s state media.
Chinese state media also reported that Xi pledged to deepen cooperation with South Korea on areas including high-tech manufacturing.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Albee Zhang in Beijing; Editing by Angus MacSwan, William Maclean)
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