● Presidential visit opens new era in Korea-China ties

Under the slogan "A trip of heart and trust," President Park Geun-hye's first state visit to China offered a blueprint for future-centered cooperation between Seoul and Beijing for the next 20 years, backed by the trust of the two leaders of both countries.


The main outcome of the president's China visit is the extending of Korea-China cooperation which previously focused on the economy and trade and is now expanding to wider areas, including politics and security.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, Korea-China ties have been dubbed "cold politics and hot economy" as it seemed to concentrate on economic cooperation, with some pointing out that the bilateral cooperation was limited to economy, not politics.

Expectations to extend the economy-centered cooperation to politics were witnessed by the Chinese media and social networking channels even before the president began her China trip. The special protocol of the Chinese government for President Park also reflected such mood.

After the Korea-China summit, President Park and President Xi Jinping adopted a joint communiqué through which the two leaders shared a common understanding of the need to upgrade the bilateral strategic partnership to a greater level of cooperation for the peace and prosperity of the international community. Both leaders also agreed to extend bilateral cooperation in all areas, including politics, security, economy, trade, society, and culture.

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● President Park holds 1st Korea-China summit in Beijing

President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to cooperate on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at a series of summit talks on June 27.


At the Korea-China summit held at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing, President Park and the Chinese leader adopted a joint communiqué which contains both countries' will to make a concerted effort to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and boost the bilateral relationship which marks its 21st anniversary this year.


"The two of us shared a common understanding that Pyongyang's possession of nuclear weapons is unacceptable under any circumstances," said President Park at a joint press conference after the summit, "and that the denuclearization of North Korea and the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula are of common interest of the two countries."

"We both agreed to continue strategic cooperation toward our common goal and that we should keep international obligations and promises, including the September 19 joint statement, for denuclearization and the UN Security Council Resolutions," President Park added.

The two presidents agreed that the Korean Peninsula trust-building process will help ease tensions and bring about sustainable peace. President Xi expressed his support for improvement in inter-Korean relations based on dialogue and trust between the South and North and for the realization of peaceful unification.

President Park and her Chinese counterpart agreed to closely cooperate by using various methods whenever necessary, including presidential visits, holding summits during multilateral meetings, exchanging letters and telephone calls, and to that end they agreed to build a comprehensive, multiple-channel communication system between the two governments.

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● The President Meets with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang


President Park Geun-hye, who is currently on a state visit to China, met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing in the afternoon. The meeting was followed by dinner. During the meeting, they exchanged views on Korea-China relations, recent developments surrounding the Korean Peninsula and bilateral economic ties as the means to a future of mutual benefits.

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● The President Meets with Chairman Zhang Dejiang of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress


In the afternoon of the second day of her state visit to China, President Park Geun-hye met with Chairman Zhang Dejiang of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People. At the meeting, they discussed ways to promote Korea-China relations and recent developments surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

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● Korea-China ties, a trust-based partnership for next 20 years
- President Park's Speech at Tsinghua University -  

"Growing grains will offer a year of prosperity. Growing trees will offer ten years of prosperity. Growing people will offer 100 years of prosperity." (一年之計 莫如樹穀, 十年之計 莫如樹木, 百年之計 莫如樹人)

This is a saying from one of the ancient Chinese classics - Guanzi (管子) - which President Park Geun-hye quoted in her speech at Tsinghua University, Beijing, on June 29.


President Park Geun-hye delivered a speech titled "Korea-China, a trip of trust that opens the next two decades" at China's prestigious Tsinghua University, Beijing, on June 29 in which she envisioned the future direction of Korea-China ties.

"Only 20 years have passed since the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between Korea and China in 1992. But the bilateral cooperation between the two countries has shown rapid, unprecedented development," said President Park in her 20-minute speech, in which she spoke both Korean and Chinese. She stressed the cooperation potential among Asian countries, including Korea and China, saying that Asian countries will be able to create "a bigger synergy if they strengthen cooperation in greater ways."


In regard to her vision of Northeast Asia, President Park emphasized the need to build trust by solving shared difficulties in the region. "Countries in Northeast Asia need to build trust by starting a multilateral dialogue on common issues such as the environment, climate change, disaster relief, and nuclear safety, and that trust will be expanded into wider areas to politics and security sectors," said President Park. "This is my vision of multilateral dialogue which will lead to the establishment of a peace cooperation initiative in Northeast Asia. I hope both Korea and China will share a trust-based partnership to build a 'new Northeast Asia.'"

"If peace prevails on the Korean Peninsula and the peoples from the two Koreas can come and go freely, this will contribute to the prosperity of China by helping the country's development, including its three Northeast provinces." She also urged the students in attendance to "build the great future of a 'new Northeast Asia' together by establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula," while expressing her hope that Tsinghua University students can be a part of the plan.

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● Korea-China FTA to upgrade economic cooperation: President


President Park Geun-hye expressed her vision on Korea-China economic cooperation and co-development at a business forum held in Beijing on June 28.

President Park, currently on a four-day state visit to China, delivered an address on bilateral economic cooperation at the Korea-China business forum where she quoted a Chinese idiom meaning continuous advancement day by day (日日新又日新) from one of four well-known Chinese classics -- the Daxue (大學).

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*Source : http://english.president.go.kr (Cheong Wa Dae Website)