Xi Jinping "Seriously Considering Visiting Gyeongju for APEC Summit" (Comprehensive)

"Hope for Stability in South Korea-China Relations"

Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted at the possibility of visiting South Korea during his meeting with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.

Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik (left) is meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Taiyangdao Hotel in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Speaker's office on the 7th, President Xi met with Speaker Woo at around 5:30 p.m. local time at the Taiyangdao (太陽島) Hotel in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Woo was attending the opening ceremony of the 9th Winter Asian Games. Speaker Woo is visiting China for four nights and five days from the 5th, upon invitation from Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China (equivalent to Speaker of the National Assembly and ranked third officially).

This is the first time since December 2014 that China's top leader has met with the Speaker of the South Korean National Assembly. It is also the first official meeting with a high-ranking South Korean official since the emergency martial law situation in South Korea last December.

The meeting was initially scheduled for about 15 minutes but lasted 42 minutes, exceeding the planned time. A spokesperson from the Speaker's office said, "The meeting time naturally extended as both sides discussed major mutual interests."

On this day, President Xi conveyed to Speaker Woo his hope for maintaining stability in South Korea-China relations. Regarding the recent martial law and impeachment situation in South Korea, he described it as "an internal matter of South Korea" and expressed his belief that "the Korean people have the wisdom and ability to resolve it well."

Furthermore, President Xi responded to Speaker Woo's request for his visit to South Korea for this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju by saying, "It is customary for the Chinese President to attend the APEC summit," and added that "relevant departments are seriously considering participation."

President Xi also stated that China firmly maintains its policy of openness and inclusiveness and opposes decoupling, such as in supply chains.

Speaker Woo conveyed that South Korea is handling the martial law and impeachment situation according to constitutional and legal procedures, emphasizing that South Korea is not unstable and that the Korean people have resilience to overcome difficulties. He also expressed expectations for outcomes in follow-up agreements on investment under the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA), revitalization of bilateral trade, stable management of supply chains, and cooperation in advanced fields. He requested cooperation from the Chinese side to ensure stable and predictable business activities for Korean companies.