[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the morning of the 15th, President Moon Jae-in met with Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, and evaluated China's role in advancing the Korean Peninsula peace process, stating, "I look forward to the development of the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries."
President Moon met with Commissioner Wang at the Blue House that day and said, "Our government will continue to work with the international community, including China, to achieve denuclearization and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula."
He added, "We hope for China's unwavering support, and I expect Commissioner Wang to play a significant role in supporting our government's efforts to develop Korea-China relations and to achieve denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula."
President Moon conveyed greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying, "It is especially meaningful that you visited at a time when we are about to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, a moment to open a more mature future for Korea-China relations together."
He continued, "I hope that the important agreements that President Xi and I have jointly agreed upon will be smoothly implemented and yield satisfactory results, leading the strategic cooperative partnership to develop to a higher level."
In response, Commissioner Wang said, "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me," and conveyed greetings from President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang.
Commissioner Wang evaluated, "China and Korea are inseparable close neighbors and partners realizing win-win cooperation," adding, "President Moon has built a good trusting relationship and friendship with President Xi, and under the leadership of the two leaders, China-Korea relations have maintained a healthy development trend."
He also mentioned cooperation between the two countries regarding epidemic prevention. Commissioner Wang stated, "The COVID-19 pandemic did not hinder exchanges and cooperation between the two sides but rather deepened our friendship," and "The two sides were the first to carry out joint epidemic prevention, and the epidemic prevention cooperation between the two countries has become a model case of international epidemic cooperation."
Marking the 30th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations next year, Commissioner Wang quoted Confucius's saying 'Thirty is the age of standing (三十而立)' and emphasized, "On the occasion of the 30th anniversary, we should summarize the successful experiences of bilateral relations development and plan well for the next 30 years of bilateral relations development."
Commissioner Wang raised his voice on the importance of mutual respect and cooperation in bilateral relations. He said, "Although China and Korea have different national circumstances, they support each other's chosen development paths, respect each other, mutually respect each other's core and important concerns, respect each other's national cultures, and have mutually respected public sentiment," adding, "This good tradition should be maintained going forward."
He continued, "China-Korea economic development has a highly complementary nature," adding, "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 30 years ago, trade volume between the two countries has already surpassed 300 billion dollars, and the era of 10 million people in terms of human exchanges has begun."
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