President Lee to Xi Jinping: "Hope for Stronger Korea-China Communication to Resume Dialogue with North Korea" [Gyeongju APEC]

President Lee Jaemyung Holds Summit with Xi Jinping on the 1st
President Xi: "China and Korea Are Inseparable Partners"

President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands on the 1st at the National Gyeongju Museum in Gyeongbuk before the Korea-China summit. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the 1st, President Lee Jaemyung met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and stated, "I hope that Korea and China will strengthen strategic communication to resume dialogue with North Korea."

During the summit held at the Cheonnyeonmiso Hall of the Gyeongju National Museum, President Lee said, "I highly appreciate the recent formation of conditions for engagement with North Korea, such as the active high-level exchanges between North Korea and China." He added, "The importance of peace and stability in the region cannot be emphasized enough as Korea and China work to develop a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship that keeps pace with the times."

President Lee also remarked, "Over the past 30 years, the complementary cooperative relationship developed between Korea and China has greatly contributed to China’s emergence as the world’s second-largest economy and to Korea’s rise as an advanced nation with global industrial competitiveness." He continued, "As the structure of economic cooperation between Korea and China shifts from a vertical division of labor to a horizontal cooperative structure, our mutually beneficial relationship must also continue to evolve in line with the trends of the era."

President Lee, who built his political career as mayor of Seongnam, told President Xi, "The shared experience of both of us growing into national leaders while working closely with the people at the local level will serve as a strong foundation for achieving tangible results in Korea-China relations that our citizens can truly feel." President Xi previously worked in local governments, including Fujian Province.

President Lee Jae-myung is giving a salute at the official welcoming ceremony for Chinese President Xi Jinping held at the National Gyeongju Museum in Gyeongbuk on the 1st. Photo by Yonhap News

President Xi responded, "China and Korea are important and close neighbors who cannot move away from each other, and inseparable partners in cooperation. Over the 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, our two countries have actively promoted exchanges and cooperation in various fields, overcoming differences in social systems and ideologies, and have achieved mutual success and common prosperity."

He continued, "As has been proven, promoting the healthy and stable development of China-Korea relations is always in the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries and is the right choice in line with the trends of the times."

He added, "China attaches great importance to its relationship with Korea and maintains continuity and stability in its Korea policy. China is willing to inject more positive energy into regional peace and development by ensuring that the China-Korea strategic cooperative partnership continues to develop in a stable and long-term manner."