Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, shakes hands with Hao Peng, communist party secretary of the province of Liaoning prior to the luncheon meeting in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Korea's top diplomat held talks Wednesday with a Chinese party secretary of the northeast province of Liaoning and urged cooperation in the supply chain of raw materials and others, his office said.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the call during his luncheon meeting in Seoul with Hao Peng, communist party secretary of the province of Liaoning, according to the ministry.

Cho noted Hao's leadership in resolving challenges for the operation of Korean companies in Liaoning and expressed hopes that he would continue efforts to create a more stable and predictable environment for investment.

Over 500 Korean companies are currently operating in Liaoning, one of three large provinces in the northeast bordering North Korea.

Cho also stressed the need for Seoul and Beijing to work together to minimize the challenges that the changing geopolitical environment poses to their bilateral relations, saying South Korea has no intention to exclude China from global supply chains.

He then asked for China's cooperation to ensure that the supply chains of raw materials are not disrupted.

Hao's trip marks the first visit to Seoul by a Chinese provincial secretary since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Yonhap)