President Moon Jae-in’s four-day state visit to China, December 15-17, has helped usher in a new era for Korea-China relations by building solid friendship and trust between the heads of state of the two countries.

The two Presidents shared five hours of official events together, deepening friendship and trust. Based on the common denominator in their political philosophies of putting the people first, they had candid, in-depth discussions on the North Korean issue, Korea-China ties and the latest developments in the region.

They related to the spirit of “thinking from another person’s perspective” and “foreseeing the future by reviewing the past” to understand one another’s position based on lessons from past difficulties. They agreed to further advance bilateral ties on the foundation of the remarkable breakthrough in Korea-China relations over the past 25 years.

The two heads of state also reached an agreement to initiate frequent, regular telephone communications. 

The summit between them this time has heralded the full-fledged restoration and development of exchanges and cooperation between Korea and China.

The two Presidents built a consensus on the direction for elevated future cooperation looking toward the next 25 years in addition to the turnaround in bilateral exchanges and collaboration.  

President Moon asked for cooperation from the Chinese side in promptly reviving business activities of Korean companies that have been suffering. He also provided encouragement to members of local Korean communities and businesses operating in China. Notably, the President held meetings with members of Korean communities in Beijing and Chongqing, respectively, expressing his interest and concern for their business activities.

The two heads of state agreed to normalize bilateral exchanges and cooperation that have slowed and shared an understanding of the three principles for bolstering and advancing practical economic collaboration.

They also agreed to reinforce the institutional foundation for economic cooperation through the full reactivation of senior-level consultative channels among 77 government ministries and agencies of the two countries, including a Korea-China economic ministers’ meeting. They also agreed on the creation of a Korea-China industrial complex and the start of follow-up negotiations on services and investment in the Korea-China FTA.

In addition, the two leaders reached an agreement to work together to identify future growth engines and pursue substantive cooperation that could be felt by the peoples of the two countries on the basis of a common ground of similar national visions and growth strategies.

Besides cooperation in such areas as the environment, including the reduction of fine dust, as well as healthcare, education, science, energy and collaboration between local governments, the two leaders also agreed to work together with regard to the Fourth Industrial Revolution involving Big Data, artificial intelligence, 5G, drones and electric automobiles.

The two Presidents also saw eye to eye on the need to facilitate the joint entry into third countries by companies of both nations by linking Korea`s New Northern Policy and New Southern Policy to China`s One Belt and One Road initiative and to push for mega cooperative projects such as the establishment of super grids, electric power transmission networks.

They came to an agreement to expand cooperation, which has been so far centered around the economy, trade, society, culture and people-to-people exchanges, into such sectors as politics, diplomacy and security as well as into inter-parliamentary and inter-local collaboration. On top of this, the two leaders agreed to build solid, mature ties that could continue to grow in spite of factors of conflict, thereby advancing the strategic cooperative partnership between the two nations in a way that lives up to its name. 

The Korean side has adhered to its principled stance concerning the THAAD issue, and as a result, the issue was mentioned most briefly during this third summit between the two Presidents. The two Presidents also reached an agreement to take a forward-looking position on the matter. For his part, President Xi gave a brief explanation of the position of his nation, which was similar to the announcement on October 31 on improvement in bilateral relations.

The foundation has been laid for peace and common prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. Korea`s diplomatic foundation has been further strengthened for the realization of peace on the Korean Peninsula and shared prosperity on the basis of five principles which President Moon outlined in his address at the National Assembly on November 1.

Concerning matters related to the Korean Peninsula, the two nations reaffirmed their shared position. In particular, the two leaders agreed on the following four principles; war on the Korean Peninsula can never be tolerated; the principle of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will be firmly maintained; all issues, including the denuclearization of North Korea, will be peacefully resolved through dialogue and negotiations; and improvement in inter-Korean relations will be ultimately helpful in resolving issues involving the Korean Peninsula.   

China`s support for Korea`s policy on the Korean Peninsula, including its playing of a leading role in resolving inter-Korean issues, has been reconfirmed. President Moon requested that China play more important roles in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, including the efforts to bring the North back to dialogue by responding to and deterring its provocations as well as by maintaining sanctions and pressure. Among other things, President Moon gave a high evaluation of China`s endeavors to implement the United Nations Security Council resolutions and emphasized the necessity for continued thorough implementation in the days to come.

The two Presidents also agreed to strengthen strategic communications between the two nations with regard to matters on the Korean Peninsula through various high-level strategic dialogues.

The two sides also decided to continue to boost high-level communications, including existing communications between ministers of foreign affairs, ministers of defense and directors of national security of the two countries.

Korea was able to secure China’s cooperation in hosting the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games successfully and in using the Games as a major opportunity to solve the North Korean nuclear issue.

President Moon asked China to play an active role in taking advantage of the opportunity to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue by building upon expectations for dialogue with the North, as well as in stably managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula until the PyeongChang Olympics. 

The two heads of state agreed to make concerted efforts to encourage North Korea to participate in the PyeongChang Olympics and to actively seek to arrange President Xi’s attendance at the Olympics.  

The two sides concurred on the need to review the designation of a Visit Korea Year and a Visit China Year to host the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics successfully.

Premier Li Keqiang said many Chinese people would visit Korea to watch the games or travel during the PyeongChang Olympics.

The following discusses the changes in how peoples of the two countries feel about Korea-China relations and the expanded base of friendly bilateral relations.

The Chinese people responded positively to the fact that the shared history of Korea and China was highlighted again, including the first issuance of a message of sympathy and condolence by a Korean Government on the anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre and the first visit to the provisional Korean government building located in Chongqing.

In addition, the Korean Government also secured the Chinese Government’s cooperation in preserving the sites of Korea’s independence movement in China. In particular, the two sides agreed to quickly resume a project to restore the general headquarters of the Korean Liberation Army in Chongqing.

The Chinese public also showed positive reactions toward President Moon’s visit to a local restaurant and the Liulichang Antique Street in Beijing as part of a friendly gesture to meet ordinary Chinese people and experience Chinese culture.

A Korea-China Cultural Exchange Night Performance was held in Beijing to mark the 25th anniversary of the Korea-China diplomatic relations during President Moon’s visit to China, and a committee to promote the study of the humanities and bilateral ties was strengthened, creating an atmosphere to spread a friendly sentiment between the two countries.

There was also a regrettable incident when Korean journalists tried to cover President Moon’s visit. The Korean Government urged the Chinese Government to quickly investigate the truth and punish those who were responsible in relation to the act of violence in which Korean journalists accompanying the President were injured. We hope the journalists will recover from their injuries quickly.