President Lee Meets 'Koreans in China': "State Visit Marks a Milestone for Designing the Next 30 Years" (Comprehensive)

President Lee Begins 4-Day State Visit to China
Attends 'Meeting with Korean Residents in China' as First Official Event
"Hoping for a New Starting Point for Deeper and Broader Korea-China Relations"
"Industrial Cooperation in New and Renew

President Lee Jaemyung, who is currently on a state visit to China, stated on the 4th (local time), "This return visit of mine will serve as an important milestone for designing the next 30 years between our two countries, building on the foundation of over 30 years of diplomatic ties." The meeting between President Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping comes two months after their summit during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Gyeongju last November. This marks the first visit to China by a South Korean president in over six years since former President Moon Jaein's visit in December 2019, and the first state visit in over eight years since December 2017.

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President Lee held a "Meeting with Koreans in China" at a hotel in downtown Beijing and said, "At last year's APEC summit in Gyeongju, I met with President Xi and promised to practically restore the strategic cooperative partnership between our two countries and develop it into a more mature relationship." He added, "I hope today will be a new starting point for Korea-China relations, fully addressing previous shortcomings, restoring normalcy, and moving forward toward deeper and broader development."

President Lee continued, "My first practical diplomatic engagement of the year is this state visit to China," and noted, "It is said that this is the first time in history that the leaders of Korea and China have made reciprocal state visits within just two months." He emphasized, "This reflects the serious shared recognition and strong determination of both governments to normalize relations as quickly as possible and to advance toward a future-oriented partnership."

President Lee assessed the full restoration of Korea-China relations as the greatest achievement since the launch of his administration. He stated, "Although there was a diplomatic vacuum for a time due to illegal martial law, the government of popular sovereignty declared Korea's return to the international community as a democratic nation immediately after its inauguration last June and has since accelerated diplomatic normalization." He added, "While there have been various diplomatic achievements, the complete restoration of Korea-China relations, which had regressed for a long time, is the most significant and rewarding."

He also mentioned the difficulties experienced by the Korean community in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. President Lee said, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies and expatriates left, causing significant hardship for the Korean community in China." He expressed regret that the number of Koreans in China, which once exceeded 500,000, has now dropped to just over 200,000. When he asked, "It will recover soon, won't it?" applause broke out among the attendees.

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President Lee cited renewable energy, biotechnology, and the silver industry as areas for cooperation with China, saying, "China is now competing with us in the global market, but there remain countless areas for future cooperation, such as renewable energy, biotechnology, and the silver industry, based on our respective comparative advantages." He also remarked, "Every January, fine dust from China used to be the biggest issue," and evaluated, "China has achieved many changes and reforms, such as mainstreaming fintech technologies like Alipay and significantly expanding the adoption of electric vehicles through eco-friendly policies."

President Lee added, "(The Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing) is also where the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue were held," and emphasized, "China is an indispensable partner in advancing peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula."

He also expressed his commitment to supporting the Korean community in China and improving the overseas election system. President Lee said, "Through practical, national interest-centered diplomacy, we will create models for our companies to thrive in the global market and ensure that, wherever you are, you always feel closely connected to your homeland, Korea, with unwavering national support." He continued, "Despite China's vast geography, only 10 polling stations were set up for recent overseas elections, causing much inconvenience." He pledged, "We will further accelerate improvements to the overseas election system to ensure there are no obstacles to exercising your sovereign rights."

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Earlier, Ko Takhee, President of the Federation of Korean Associations in China, delivered a welcoming address, saying, "On behalf of the Korean community in China and the 67 local Korean associations across Chinese cities, I sincerely welcome President Lee's state visit to China." "Diplomacy may be like waves, but trust between the peoples of Korea and China must be built layer by layer on the ground. That is why, even during the difficult times of COVID-19, we never lost hope for the future," he said.He continued, "Since the launch of the government of popular sovereignty, Korea-China relations have rapidly improved, just as we had hoped. The meeting at APEC and the President's state visit to China today are evidence of this."

President Ko went on to say, "The results of 30 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and China have contributed significantly to Korea becoming an advanced nation and China becoming a G2 power." He added, "Our memories of the golden era of Korea-China trade raise great expectations for cooperation in high value-added sectors such as the digital economy, biotechnology, and renewable energy." He emphasized, "At times like this, it is all the more necessary to promote more intergovernmental exchanges and people-to-people diplomacy between Korea and China. The President's remark that we should respect what is good for each other and adjust what is unnecessary is one way to address pending issues between our two countries."

President Ko also addressed issues facing the Korean community, stating, "There are issues such as free education for children of overseas Koreans, support for Korean international schools, identity and Korean language education for multicultural children, restrictions on employment after graduation for Korean students, visa restrictions for those over 60, and the preservation of historic sites related to independence activists like General Kim Jwajin." He said, "I hope the voices of the Korean community will be reflected in national policy."