On July 24, 2016 local time, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Vientiane, Laos.

Wang Yi said that China and the ROK are close neighbors as well as strategic partners. The comprehensive cooperation between the two countries in recent years has brought real benefits to the two peoples. However, the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in the ROK will definitely harm the mutual trust between China and the ROK. The deployment of the THAAD is by no means a purely technical issue but a real strategic issue. If the system is eventually deployed in the ROK, it will create negative impact on the Korean Peninsula situation, regional stability and China-ROK relations. We once again urge the ROK to take China's reasonable and legitimate concerns into serious consideration, carefully weigh the pros and cons, be extra cautious, think twice before taking actions, and cherish and maintain the hard-won sound situation of China-ROK relations.

Yun Byung-se stated that the ROK-China relations have witnessed a high level of development in recent years thanks to the concerted efforts of leaders and the people of the two countries. The ROK and China enjoy a strong relationship and should be able to deal with all kinds of challenges through cooperation. The ROK has no intention to and will not damage China's strategic security interests. The country hopes to work with the Chinese side to strengthen communication and enhance mutual trust. Taking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year as an opportunity, the ROK hopes to further develop bilateral strategic cooperative partnership with China.