Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul speaks during bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart in Melbourne, May 1, in this photo provided by Cho's office. Yonhap

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul's visit to China, preceding an envisaged trilateral summit involving South Korea, Japan and China, is anticipated to represent a crucial opportunity for diplomatic progress between Seoul and Beijing following recent strains in bilateral relations, experts said, Tuesday.

According to the South Korean Embassy in China, it is coordinating the date of Cho's upcoming visit to Beijing, which would mark the first visit by a South Korean foreign minister to the country in more than six years.

Experts said the meeting between Cho and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi would hopefully provide mutual assurance that both sides want to stabilize ties. The current relationship between China and South Korea is at its lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992.

"President Yoon Suk Yeol is counting on successfully hosting the three-way summit because he wants to tout his diplomatic achievements, especially as he is facing huge political setbacks after the ruling party's defeat in the general elections last month. South Korea is trying to give assurance to China following the latter's reluctance to confirm its participation in the leadership summit," said Kim Heung-kyu, director of the U.S.-China Policy Institute at Ajou University.

However, he refrained from expressing optimism about the meeting between Cho and Wang.

"It remains to be seen how the Yoon administration will navigate Korea's relationship with China," Kim said.

Kang Jun-young, a Chinese studies professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said Cho's visit is aimed at fixing a date and agenda for the upcoming trilateral summit, which is expected to focus primarily on fostering economic and people-to-people exchanges.

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit in Bali, Indonesia, in this Nov. 15, 2022, photo. Yonhap

"Bilateral talks may also take place during the summit. I think Seoul-Beijing talks will largely be related to facilitating people-to-people exchanges as well as economy and trade, as geopolitical issues may hamper discussions," Kang he said.

He pointed out that a recent diplomatic thaw between South Korea and Japan could obstruct Beijing's bilateral ties with Seoul, but a trilateral summit is necessary for China, too.

"The summit will practically be Chinese Premier Li Qiang's debut on the international stage," he said.

The three countries are in talks to hold a high-level summit likely on May 26 or 27. Hosted by South Korea, the meeting is expected to bring together Yoon, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Li.

They said the North Korea issue could be addressed, but their talks would likely end without any progress being made.

"South Korea would want Beijing to play a role in making North Korea stop developing its nuclear weapons and missiles. However, China will maintain its regular stance of saying ‘We condemn North Korea's nuclear test and we support maintaining peace and stability in the region,'" Kim said.

Kang said South Korea should refrain from commenting on the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as it can stoke anger in China.

"South Korea should remain ambiguous about its position on the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as it could negatively affect relations with China. China may be in ‘wait-and-see mode' until the May 20 inauguration of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to see how neighboring countries react," Kang said.