Korea’s top deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo said this at a briefing, reports Ukrinform citing Yonhap.

“I hope our two nations will work together to promote stability and peace in the region in response to North Korea’s repeated provocations, the war in Ukraine and military cooperation between Russia and North Korea,” Yoon said at a summit with Xi on the sidelines of Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation in Lima.

Describing China as an “important country” for close cooperation in the fields of security, economy, culture and people-to-people exchange, Yoon said he expects the two nations to develop their strategic cooperative partnership based on “mutual respect, reciprocity , and common interests.”

In response, Xi said China does not want escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and expressed hope that the parties involved will pursue a peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiations for “a political solution.”

“While the global and regional situation has changed a lot in the past two years, China-South Korea relations have generally maintained momentum for development,” Xi said.

He also said the two countries should strive for the “healthy and steady” development of bilateral ties to contribute more to regional peace, stability and prosperity and bring benefits to people of both nations.

During the meeting, the two leaders agreed to continue their discussions and further improve bilateral relations.

Beijing recently added South Korea to its list of temporary visa-exempt countries, a move cautiously welcomed by Seoul as a step toward improving bilateral ties. South Korea expressed hope that this decision would help foster a more “friendly feeling” between the two nations.

Photo from Yonhap’s website