Chinese official calls for strengthening APEC efforts to eliminate trade barriers

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated Beijing's position during a meeting in Seoul with South Korean National Security Advisor Wi Sung Rak, as reported by the state Chinese agency Xinhua.

On the same day, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung requested Wang Yi, in another meeting, that China assume a constructive role aimed at the denuclearization of the peninsula. During this meeting, Lee asked Wang Yi to maintain close strategic communication with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lak regarding relations between South Korea and China, as well as the issues of the Korean Peninsula.

Wang praised the recent rapprochement between Seoul and Beijing, assuring that he would seek to preserve this positive trend in bilateral relations. However, regarding tensions on the Korean Peninsula, he argued that the essential solution lies in eradicating the deep-rooted causes of the problem and insisting that the United States abandon its hostile policy directed at North Korea, according to Chinese government sources.

Despite this, Wang expressed appreciation for the prospect of peaceful coexistence proposed by the South Korean president, emphasizing the need to establish a lasting peace and stability mechanism between North Korea and South Korea.

These meetings took place one day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intention to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before the end of the year, seeking to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.

The previous Sunday, Trump also announced the reduction of the scope of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, arguing that such maneuvers sent the wrong message to Pyongyang. Relations between Washington and Seoul appear to have cooled down amid the apparent rapprochement of the American administration with Pyongyang.

This morning, the South Korean government refuted Trump's estimate of North Korea's nuclear arsenal, claiming that Pyongyang might possess 120 nuclear weapons, in contrast to the 57 mentioned by the Republican the day before.

South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Kyu Baek stated in a hearing before the National Assembly Defense Committee that the estimate of North Korea's nuclear weapons is between 80 and 120, although it is difficult to determine the exact number. The minister acknowledged a discrepancy with Washington regarding the assessment of the North Korean nuclear arsenal, stating that the number seemed slightly different from what Trump disclosed, and emphasized that Seoul's calculations should be based on evaluations made by South Korean research institutions.

The nuclear issue is an extremely sensitive matter in South Korea, given that the country does not formally recognize its northern neighbor as a nuclear power, and there are few mentions from the ruling class regarding Pyongyang's capability or arsenal.

During an exercise held on Wednesday, a Yushan-class amphibious landing ship, operating as a merchant vessel, was escorted into port by a group of vessels belonging to the Navy and Coast Guard, according to the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan.

The ministry stated that the Navy and Coast Guard are constantly deepening their coordinated collaboration, covering everything from responding to 'gray zone' tactics to specific missions such as counter-blockade escort and coastal attacks.

'Gray zone' maritime tactics are defined as the methodical use by China of non-military and paramilitary vessels—including dredgers, maritime militias, and coast guard ships—to exert gradual pressure and control over Taiwan without crossing the threshold of traditional armed conflict.

In a separate statement, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) highlighted that this was the first exercise where both forces cooperated in this format, demonstrating Taiwan's intention to maintain peace and stability in the strait and the region.

According to the CGA, the drill involved the participation of four patrol vessels, which, along with Navy ships, escorted the Yushan to the ports of Hualien and Suao, located on the eastern coast of the island.

Suao is the location of Taiwan's only naval anti-torpedo boats and serves as the operational center for Lungteh, a company responsible for building corvettes and patrols for the Navy and Coast Guard.

Kuan Bi-ling, Minister of the Council of Oceanic Affairs—the body responsible for overseeing the Coast Guard—stated that the drill demonstrated the 'close strategic cooperation' between the armed forces and the Coast Guard.

The official emphasized that while there is peace, the Coast Guard guards maritime borders, protects fishing activities, and carries out rescues; however, in war scenarios, it legally integrates into the global defense operations system.

This training was part of the Han Kuang maneuvers, Taiwan's annual military exercises, created to test military reaction capability in the face of a potential Chinese invasion, given that Beijing does not rule out the use of force to take control of the island.

Taiwanese authorities have repeatedly warned that since late May, Chinese Coast Guard vessels and other official entities of the Asian country have increased the frequency of operations in the waters east of the island.

This area not only contains vital sea routes for global trade but also represents the route through which nations such as the United States and Japan could provide assistance to Taiwan in case of military aggression or Chinese blockade, according to defense analysts.

The counter-blockade exercise occurred simultaneously with joint naval maneuvers between a Chinese frigate and one from Indonesia east of Taiwan, unprecedented exercises in the area that, according to Taipei, aimed to project the 'false image' that Beijing has effective jurisdiction over those waters.