China says Xi to hold talks with Park next month

SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Yonhap) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit with his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye next month on the sidelines of a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Beijing, a former Chinese official said Tuesday.

Former Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan made the comment in a meeting with Park at the presidential office. Tang described the planned summit as an "important" one.

The planned summit comes four months after Xi visited Seoul and met with Park. The visit was widely seen as a snub to North Korea as the Chinese leader chose to travel to Seoul first, instead of Pyongyang, a traditional ally of Beijing.

It is the first time for a Chinese president to visit South Korea before traveling to North Korea since 1992 when Seoul and Beijing established diplomatic relations.

In November, China is set to host a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, a grouping of 21 countries, spanning from Southeast Asia to North and South Americas.

The APEC members account for 58 percent of global gross domestic product and 49 percent of world trade.

entropy@yna.co.kr
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