President Park Geun-hye, who is visiting Beijing to attend the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in the morning. During their summit and a special luncheon that followed, the two Presidents had in-depth discussions on issues of mutual interest, including Korea-China relations and recent developments surrounding the Korean Peninsula as well as other regional and international affairs.

President Xi welcomed President Park to the 70th anniversary celebration, and in response, she expressed the hope that the event would be a success, sending a message for reconciliation and forward-looking cooperation in the region. She added that, in this significant year marking the 70th anniversary of liberation, she was grateful to the Chinese Government for its efforts to preserve historic sites in Shanghai and other cities in China where Koreans had struggled for independence.

The two Presidents shared a recognition of the fact that the relationship between the two countries was advancing at an unprecedented pace. This is evidenced by the enhanced strategic communication through the launch of four key strategic dialogue channels, the establishment of an institutional foundation for economic cooperation, including the signing of a Korea-China FTA on June 1, 2015, and the number of people-to-people exchanges reaching 10 million in 2014. In addition, there have been six summits on the occasions of bilateral and multilateral meetings over the past two and half years following the inauguration of new Administrations in both countries and eight rounds of foreign ministers’ meetings.

The two sides also agreed to work closely together and share experiences for the successful hosting of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Presidents Park and Xi saw eye to eye on the necessity of further expanding and developing the Korea-China joint project to strengthen bonds in the humanities to deepen mutual understanding and exchanges between the two peoples. The project has been carried out since 2014 according to an agreement between the two heads of state. In addition, they agreed to make concerted efforts to venture into third-country markets by jointly creating cultural content.

The two leaders noted that the recent escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula had been eased by means of inter-Korean consultations. They went on to express the hope that the Trust-building Process on the Korean Peninsula would be accelerated with the agreement reached this time being translated into concrete action. In this connection, the two sides concurred on the need to step up communications and consultation as strategic, cooperative partners in addressing regional and international issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

They also highlighted the importance of faithful implementation of the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks and the United Nations Security Council resolutions. In this regard, they expressed opposition to any act further escalating tensions.

As on previous occasions, the two sides reaffirmed their unwavering adherence to the goal of denuclearization. Highlighting the breakthrough in the Iran nuclear talks, they called for the resumption of meaningful dialogue through the Six-party Talks at an early date.

The two sides also had in-depth discussions on the issue of unification. The Korean side stressed that with the Korean Peninsula in its 70th year of division, peaceful unification was a pressing aim, the realization of which would also contribute to promoting peace and prosperity in the region. The Chinese side said that it supported the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula by the Korean people.

The two sides also agreed that the Korea-China-Japan trilateral cooperation framework had an important function in advancing peace, stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia and should therefore be maintained and further developed. They agreed to hold a trilateral summit in Korea at a mutually convenient date sometime at the end of October or the beginning of November. On the same topic, President Xi thanked President Park for all of her active efforts as chair of the trilateral summit to regularize cooperation between the three countries.

President Xi also reaffirmed the Chinese Government’s support for the Korean Government’s Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative. The two sides affirmed their commitment to the shared goals of strengthening regional trust and cooperation and agreed that the Northeast Asian Peace and Cooperation Initiative, as an important and useful framework to this end, should be carried out through concrete measures. They agreed to hold a second Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Forum and seek cooperative measures in such diverse sectors as nuclear safety, disaster management, energy security, and public health.

The two sides also mentioned the areas of overlap between the Korean Government’s Eurasia Initiative and the Chinese Government’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative and agreed to explore the possibilities for connecting the two in the process of their implementation.

The two sides went on to express their expectation that the AIIB would contribute to stimulating infrastructure and construction investments in Asia. They agreed to partner together closely in the process of launching and operating the bank. The two leaders also agreed to have close dialogue and to cooperate closely at events taking place in the latter half of the year, including the summit to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the UN as well as the G20 and APEC meetings.

As the sixth bilateral summit between the two leaders since both took office in 2013, this summit was an opportunity for the two leaders to solidify their trust relations and make efforts to upgrade the Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of liberation and the end of the Second World War.

Source: Cheong Wa Dae

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The President Meets with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang




President Park Geun-hye met with Premier Li Keqiang of the People`s Republic of China on the occasion of her visit to Beijing to attend the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. During their meeting that lasted for 40 minutes from 4:35 in the afternoon, they had in-depth discussions on ways to bolster bilateral economic and trade cooperation and exchanged useful ideas on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region as well as on Korea-China relations.

President Park began by thanking the Chinese Government for providing every convenience in connection with her attendance at the 70th anniversary celebration. Congratulating the Prime Minister on the selection of Beijing as the host city of the 2022 Winter Olympics, President Park expressed the hope that the two countries would continue to work closely together for the successful hosting of the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang and Beijing, respectively. Premier Li expressed his deep appreciation to President Park for attending the anniversary event that was especially significant in the pursuit of regional peace and stability as well as peaceful progress. He went on to say that extra attention would be paid to key issues requiring bilateral cooperation, including the successful hosting of the Winter Olympics.

President Park and Premier Li agreed that bilateral relations were evolving to the extent that there have been strategic communications not only on the economy but also on politics and security. They noted in particular that such relations were steadily advancing in a wide range of areas, including through frequent high-level exchanges, the signing of the Korea-China FTA and the implementation of the Korea-China joint project to strengthen bonds in the humanities. They were of the same opinion that the two countries should promote new developments in their relations by accelerating current trends.

President Park stressed the importance of joint efforts to help stabilize the situation in Northeast Asia, which is currently in flux. From that perspective, she said she looked forward to hosting a Korea-Japan-China summit in Seoul at a mutually convenient time in late October or early November this year.

On the issue of North Korea, President Park explained that she had made her position clear on several occasions that the South would be vigorous in working together with the international community to help the North as long as it takes steps toward abandoning its nuclear weapons. She went on to say that the establishment of a Northeast Asian Development Bank was proposed as part of tangible efforts to achieve this goal. In this regard, she expressed the hope that China and the other countries in the Six-party Talks would continue to cooperate together.

In response, Premier Li commended President Park’s efforts with regard to the trilateral summit and said he valued her input regarding the situation in Northeast Asia and the new development bank and would take her suggestions into consideration in the days ahead.

President Park said that both Korea and China needed to make especially active efforts to continue expanding trade and investment. She stressed in particular the need for a variety of measures to maximize the effects of the Korea-China FTA, including lowering tariffs, eliminating non-tariff barriers and expanding exchanges between private companies. Premier Li, describing the Korea-China FTA as a major outcome in bilateral trade relations, expressed agreement on the need for enhanced efforts to maximize the FTA’s effects and said that China would make serious efforts to this end.

President Park next noted the two countries’ shared cultural heritage, a result of their inhabiting the same cultural sphere, and said that they should capitalize on this heritage to build on the FTA and combine the Korean and Chinese markets so that the two, as one, can enter the world market together. With regard to such cultural cooperation, Premier Li expressed his strong agreement with President Park’s suggestions.

President Park also proposed that the two countries, in line with their respective strategies to innovate their manufacturing sector, develop their services industries and foster new high value-added industries, should upgrade their cooperative relations to expand into new industries like robotics, public health and cultural content. Premier Li explained the Chinese Government’s “Made in China 2025” strategy, currently being pursued with the aim to apply smart technologies to the manufacturing industry. He added that he hoped for expanded cooperation with Korea’s manufacturing industry, a global leader in its utilization of smart technologies and IT innovations.

With regard to the financial industry, President Park noted the growing connectivity between the two countries’ foreign currency markets and financial markets and proposed the development of a channel for close cooperation between their respective financial authorities to promote the joint development of their industries and the stability of the financial market. Premier Li welcomed this proposal and recommended that the two countries work together to respond to the various risks presented by the global financial market and strengthen financial cooperation.

The meeting today was the fourth between the two leaders since President Park’s inauguration and served as an important opportunity for in-depth consultations on expanding bilateral economic exchanges and cooperation as a means to secure meaningful outcomes through the strategic cooperative partnership.

Source: Cheong Wa Dae

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