President Moon Jae-in, in the Philippines to attend ASEAN-related summits, met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila Hotel today. The atmosphere was warm and friendly as they exchanged remarks pledging a new start for Korean-Chinese relations. 

President Moon began by congratulating Premier Li on his consecutive term as a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau. The President wished him great success in his endeavors to achieve the goal of a balanced prosperity, a society with a vibrant middle-class.

President Moon said Korean-Chinese ties have reached the beginning of a new phase. He went on to say the October 31 joint statement on improving bilateral relations and his summit with President Xi Jinping set a milestone in the rapid normalization of Korea-China relations. He expressed the hope that the two sides would build on these events and discuss substantive ways to ramp up cooperation, which slowed over the past year, in the economic, trade, cultural and interpersonal exchange areas, while at the same time expanding collaboration in issues of mutual interest.

Quoting some lines from a Chinese classic, President Moon wished for a deepening of the bilateral ties, and his remark received an empathetic nod from Premier Li and other members of the Chinese delegation. Citing the saying "One step back is needed to take nine steps forward," President Moon said he was convinced that by pooling their wisdom, the two countries could turn the difficulties in bilateral relations into new opportunities, substantively advancing the strategic cooperative partnership. 

President Moon also quoted the following, "A single flower in bloom does not herald the arrival of spring; all the flowers blooming in concert bring spring’s fullness to the garden.” The President added that he hoped that today`s meeting would lay the groundwork for cooperation for flourishing in various sectors. 

The President also encouraged both sides to build on the foundation and further exchanges and cooperation in all sectors, including politics, the economy, culture, tourism and people-to-people interactions so the people in both nations could feel the arrival of spring in the Korean-Chinese relations.    

Premier Li said he was gratified to meet President Moon and that the President’s Chinese pronunciation of his name was accurate. The Premier went on to say that the President’s remarks reminded him of the cultural similarities shared by the two countries. 

Noting that the two sides have made steady progress on sensitive issues, the Chinese Premier said a positive change has occurred in the two countries’ relations. The Premier gave high marks to President Moon’s efforts in the process and took this opportunity to congratulate him on his inauguration as the President.

The Premier commented that President Moon’s quote from Chinese literature suggested a warming of the bilateral relationship, like the welcome arrival of spring. Then, Premier Li mentioned another Chinese saying that says, “When spring comes, rivers warm up, and ducks feel the warm weather.” He expressed the hope that the two sides would be able to get relations back on right track soon, and then sincerely thanked President Moon again.