Wang Yi Visits President Moon Jae-in... "Will Visit Korea When Conditions Permit"
Breakfast with Moon Chung-in and Yoon Gun-young Also Held
[Asia Economy reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Lim Cheol-young] "We appreciate the invitation for a state visit and intend to visit Korea when conditions permit." Chinese President Xi Jinping conveyed this verbal message to President Moon Jae-in through Wang Yi, State Councilor in charge of foreign affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Experts interpret "when conditions permit" as a situation where the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) stabilizes. Considering the resurgence of COVID-19, the prevailing view is that a visit within this year has been ruled out.
So far, the Blue House has been reserved about the timing of President Xi's visit to Korea. Internal trends suggest that the timing will be postponed, but the Blue House has not specified a particular time for the visit.
President Moon conveyed through Minister Wang Yi, who visited the Blue House, his hope to "meet in Korea as soon as the COVID-19 situation stabilizes." The focus on President Xi's visit goes beyond the dimension of a visit by China's top leader; it could be a turning point for the Korean economy, diplomacy, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. With the inauguration of the U.S. Biden administration, a different level of Northeast Asian situation from the Trump administration may be formed. Considering national interests, Korea, which cannot neglect either the U.S. or China, requires wise responses.
Although the COVID-19 issue and the stalemate in North Korea-U.S. relations make it difficult for the peace process on the Korean Peninsula to gain momentum, President Moon's determination remains firm. He emphasized, "Together with the international community including China, we will not stop efforts to end the war on the Korean Peninsula, achieve complete denuclearization, and establish lasting peace."
Meanwhile, Minister Wang Yi is concluding his 2-night, 3-day visit to Korea by continuing meetings with ruling party figures, including having breakfast on the 27th with Moon Jung-in, President Moon's special advisor on unification, diplomacy, and security, and Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. On the 26th, he attracted attention by having dinner with former Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan.
On the 26th, Minister Wang Yi held a face-to-face meeting with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha for the first time in a year, with their meeting lasting over three hours including lunch. The two countries agreed to expand the "fast-track" system, first introduced and implemented in May, and to revitalize people-to-people exchanges through increased flights. At the meeting, Minister Wang repeatedly emphasized that the two countries are "strategic cooperative partners," using the term "sumang sangjo (守望相助)," meaning mutual cooperation and response in times of difficulty.
Discussions on the Korean Peninsula issue took place during lunch at the Foreign Minister's residence in Hannam-dong. Both sides agreed that they must continue close communication and cooperation to manage the situation on the Korean Peninsula stably and advance the peace process.
A Foreign Ministry official explained, "The two foreign ministers reached a consensus that North Korea is currently observing the change in the U.S. administration and taking a wait-and-see approach," adding, "(Minister Wang Yi) expressed China's willingness to actively support the Korean government's North Korea policy and proposed strengthening strategic cooperation."
On the 26th, Kang Kyung-wha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who attended the bilateral meeting with Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sejong-ro, is giving a greeting before the meeting. Photo by Joint Press Corps
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