XIAMEN: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has spoken highly of China’s ties with the Republic of Korea (ROK) while meeting with ROK Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province.
Chung was on a two-day visit to China starting on Friday – the first paid by an ROK foreign minister in three years. During the meeting, the two senior officials agreed that the two countries should jointly deepen cooperation in various fields and push forward multilateralism as well as multilateral agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Noting that this year is the first year of the “China-ROK Year of Cultural Exchanges” while next year will be the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the ROK, Wang said the bilateral ties are in an important period of strategic opportunities.
He expects the two countries will take the opportunity to push forward the bilateral ties to a new level. China stands ready to work with the ROK on the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, Wang said, calling on the two sides to jointly defend multilateralism, the UN-centered international system, and the international order underpinned by international law.
The Chinese foreign minister also called for joint efforts in maintaining all-level close communication between the two sides.
He urged the two sides to launch the committee for future development of China-ROK relations as soon as possible and work jointly on preparing for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
Stressing that the economies of China and the ROK are highly integrated, Wang said that China is ready to accelerate strategic synergy, step up third-party market cooperation with the ROK and complete the second phase of the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement at an early date.
–The Daily Mail-CGTN News exchange item
