Foreign Minister Park Jin, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose during their meeting in Qingdao, China, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

By Kang Seung-woo

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pressed South Korea, Tuesday, to act independently as the United States ramps up pressure on Seoul to side with Washington amid an intensifying U.S.-Sino rivalry.

Foreign Minister Park Jin and Wang held the talks during his first trip to China since taking office in May and the meeting was widely seen as being crucial to setting the tone for Seoul-Beijing relations under the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

"While the two countries head toward the 30th anniversary of the establishment of South Korea-China diplomatic ties, both sides should maintain independence without being affected by the outside," Wang said, adding that the two countries should consider each other's interests.

"We have to adhere to a win-win to ensure a stable and smooth supply chain," he added.

Wang's remarks came as thorny issues between the two neighboring countries are expected to hamper their bilateral relations ― although the two sides are scheduled to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties two weeks later.

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration is set to join the U.S.-proposed chip alliance, also known as Chip 4 or Fab 4, believed to be a platform to counter Beijing's rising influence in global supply chains.