Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit South Korea for two days from Wednesday, stepping up engagement with Seoul as President Donald Trump sows doubts about Washington¡¯s reliability in the region.

Wang will meet South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to discuss North Korea and bilateral and global issues, South Korea¡¯s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday. The trip follows renewed high-level exchanges after years of friction over Seoul¡¯s deployment of a U.S. missile defense system opposed by Beijing.

The visit comes after Trump ordered the Pentagon to ¡°substantially reduce¡± joint exercises with South Korea, citing their cost and his ¡°very good relationship¡± with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The announcement appeared to catch Seoul by surprise.