President Lee Meets with Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee: "The Role of the NPC Is Crucial, We Request Support and Encouragement"

Chairman Zhao Leji, Third Most Powerful Figure in China
Chairman Zhao: "Let Us Strengthen Communication and Cooperation"

On the morning of January 6, President Lee Jaemyung met with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. During the meeting, President Lee requested parliamentary-level support and engagement to foster the mature development of the strategic cooperative partnership between South Korea and China. Chairman Zhao responded by stating that China-Korea relations have returned to a normal track and entered a new phase, and called for strengthened communication and cooperation.

Yonhap News Agency

During the meeting with Chairman Zhao at the Dongdaecheng Hall on the second floor of the Great Hall of the People, President Lee stated, "Through my summit with President Xi Jinping, we agreed to work together to maturely develop the strategic cooperative partnership between South Korea and China, based on political trust and friendly trust between our peoples." Chairman Zhao, who is considered the third most powerful figure in China, holds a position equivalent to the Speaker of the National Assembly in Korea.

President Lee continued, "I believe that the role of the National People's Congress is more important than ever for the development of relations between our two countries. As an institution representing public opinion, I am confident that it will make a significant contribution to enhancing mutual understanding and expanding consensus by reflecting the perceptions and diverse voices of society as a whole." He added, "I kindly ask for your active support and encouragement, as well as that of the National People's Congress, so that the relationship between South Korea and China can continue to grow on a foundation of strong trust."

Earlier, in his opening remarks, Chairman Zhao stated, "China and South Korea are friendly and close neighbors as well as strategic cooperative partners. For over 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, we have worked hand in hand for joint development." He continued, "Friendship and cooperation have always been the defining foundation of China-Korea relations. A healthy, stable, and continuously deepening China-Korea relationship serves the interests of both peoples and is beneficial to peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the region and the world at large."

He also said, "Under the strategic guidance of President Xi and President Lee, China-Korea relations have once again returned to a normal track and entered a new phase. The Chinese side will work together with the Korean side to fully implement the important shared understandings between our leaders, strengthen communication and harmony, and deepen cooperation in all fields, so that our strategic cooperative partnership can move forward steadily and over the long term."

Yonhap News Agency

President Lee also expressed his appreciation for Chairman Zhao's role in facilitating Korea-China exchanges. President Lee said, "I understand that you played a significant role in maintaining exchanges between Korea and China during the visits to China by our delegation, which included Special Envoy Park Byeongseok (former Speaker of the National Assembly), National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik, and Deputy Speaker Lee Hakyoung."

President Lee also mentioned that Chairman Zhao, during his tenure as Party Secretary of Shaanxi Province in 2012, attracted large-scale investments from Samsung Electronics, and said, "I am well aware of your meaningful contributions to economic cooperation between South Korea and China."

Present at the meeting from the Korean side were Kim Yongbeom, Chief Policy Officer; Koo Yooncheol, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance; Kim Jeonggwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Wi Sunglak, Director of the National Security Office; Noh Jaeheon, Ambassador to China; Ha Jeongwoo, Chief of AI Future Planning; and Lim Woongsun, Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office. On the Chinese side, participants included Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Dai Bing, Chinese Ambassador to Korea; Lou Qinjiang, Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Liu Qi, Secretary-General of the Standing Committee; and Zhang Qingwei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee.