President Moon Discusses 'Beijing Olympics' with Wang Yi... "An Opportunity to Improve Inter-Korean Relations"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 15th, President Moon Jae-in met with Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, and expressed his intention to cooperate for the successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics. Commissioner Wang also responded, "We will strive to make the Beijing Olympics an opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations."

President Moon met with Commissioner Wang at the Blue House that morning and stated, "I hope the Beijing Olympics will become another turning point following the PyeongChang Olympics to improve relations with North Korea and contribute to peace in Northeast Asia and the world."

President Moon said, "I hope the Northeast Asian three-country relay Olympics, which began in PyeongChang in 2018, will successfully conclude in Beijing in 2022," and added, "As the host country immediately preceding the Winter Olympics, we will cooperate for the successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics."

In response, Commissioner Wang said, "We will strive to make the Beijing Olympics an opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations," and added, "With a proactive attitude and political will, historic achievements can be made even within a day."

Commissioner Wang also conveyed greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping and stated that as the COVID-19 situation stabilizes between the two countries and conditions are met, they will continue to communicate to enable President Xi’s visit to South Korea.

Discussions on the Korean Peninsula issue were also held. President Moon emphasized the importance of "urging North Korea to promptly return to dialogue" and requested China’s constructive role and continuous cooperation to encourage North Korea’s return to talks. Commissioner Wang responded, "China always supports the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the advancement and development of inter-Korean relations," and pledged to continue playing a constructive role.

The meeting mainly focused on expanding bilateral cooperation. President Moon urged that through the successful promotion of the 2021-2022 'Year of Korea-China Cultural Exchange' and the 'Korea-China Future Development Committee,' the strategic cooperative partnership between Korea and China should be further developed.

Commissioner Wang emphasized South Korea’s importance to China, saying, "Korea and China should meet frequently like relatives. Confucius said 'At thirty, I stood firm (三十而立),' and as Korea and China approach the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, I hope plans are well prepared." In response, President Moon said, "Although Korea-China relations have developed significantly over the past 30 years, there is still much room for growth," and added, "I hope the Korea-China relationship, which has been built up so far, will become even stronger."

The issue of fine dust was also discussed. President Moon said, "Air pollution issues such as fine dust directly affect the health and quality of life of the people in both countries," and requested efforts to activate communication between Korean and Chinese authorities to achieve visible improvements in air quality. Commissioner Wang responded, "President Xi is also very interested in green and sustainable development, and recently the air quality in Beijing has improved," and added, "We will strive to strengthen cooperation with Korea in the environmental sector."

Amid China’s regulation of the K-pop fandom, President Moon also emphasized the importance of cultural exchange between the two countries. He said, "For the stable development of bilateral relations, efforts to understand the sentiments of each other’s people are necessary, and for this, active cultural exchange and cooperation are needed," citing exchanges and cooperation in cultural content fields such as games, dramas, and movies as examples.