China, S.Korea should avoid external interference, Chinese foreign minister says

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and South Korea should avoid interference from external factors and expand common interests, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his South Korean counterpart on Friday.

Speaking with South Korean foreign minister Cho Tae-yul at the ASEAN Summit in Laos, Wang said the two sides should seek common ground and do more things that are conducive to enhancing mutual trust, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

Wang and Cho also agreed to maintain close and strategic communication for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Cho expressed grave concern over the growing ties between Russia and China and urged Beijing to play a constructive role for peace in the region, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

It marks the second meeting between the two since Cho took office earlier this year, the ministry added.

(Reporting by Bernard Orr and Ethan Wang and Hyunsu Yim in Seoul; editing by Christina Fincher)