China urges S. Korea to seek friendly ties, blames U.S. for Korean tensions

SEOUL - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed hope during a visit to South Korea on Thursday that Seoul will firmly pursue a friendly policy toward China, while calling for an end to what he described as the United States' hostile policy toward North Korea to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The trip to South Korea by the top Chinese diplomat underscored the two countries' eagerness to bring the bilateral ties fully back on track after souring over Seoul's deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in 2017 and came as U.S. President Donald Trump has ramped up his criticism against the Asian ally.