President Moon Jae-in met with Chinese special envoy Han Zheng, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), at Cheong Wa Dae for 40 minutes from 2:40 this afternoon. They discussed ways to promote a forward-looking relationship between Korea and China as well as recent developments on the Korean Peninsula.

President Moon began by expressing the hope that Korea and China would continue to work together to make this year, the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a strategic, cooperative partnership, a starting point from which the two countries could usher in a new era for a more mature and cooperative strategic partnership. He went on to say Korea-China ties should not be confined only to the fields of the economy and trade but further expand into such areas as politics and security. In so doing, the President added, the relationship between the two countries would be able to make unwavering progress even in the face of many factors of conflicts. 

Moreover, President Moon said the two nations should seek out mutual understanding and common ground for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the building of a peace mechanism. He highlighted the importance of close bilateral cooperation to ensure that inter-Korean talks would continue even after the PyeongChang Olympics and ultimately lead to dialogue intended to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

Meanwhile, President Moon pointed out the fact that even though the two countries shared the same goal, there was one thing that was still left to be done. He explained that Korean businesses were suffering difficulties in advancing into Chinese markets, asking the Chinese Government to pay extraordinary attention so that the benefits of Chinese economic growth could reach Korean companies as well.

In addition, President Moon asked the Chinese Government to pay attention to ensuring that an increasing number of Chinese tourists visit Korea to watch the Olympics and that overall people-to-people exchanges grow. 

In reply, the visiting special envoy said that China remained active in promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, adding that it had paid special attention to the interests of Korean businesses. Noting that the two countries had common goals, the special envoy said that the two Governments had to work together to achieve progress. 

The special envoy went on to say that the United States and North Korea held the key to the situation on the Korean Peninsula and thus, both South Korea and China had to strive to achieve the same goal of encouraging the United States and North Korea to hold direct talks. Quoting a Chinese proverb that three feet of ice do not form in a single day, he proposed that they make endeavors with patience as the situation has become complicated. 

President Moon said North Korea was actively engaging in inter-Korean talks on the occasion of the PyeongChang Olympics. The President went on to say that the talks should lead to a discussion of the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, asking the Chinese Government to play a bigger role in helping the inter-Korean talks open the door to a dialogue between the United States and North Korea. 

President Moon stressed that bilateral cooperation on preserving the historic sites of Korea’s independence movement in China would greatly help spread a sense of friendship between the peoples of the two countries. To this end, the President asked for the strong interest and support of the special envoy who was known to have greatly contributed to the preservation and restoration of the headquarters of the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai for a long time.

Attendees from the Chinese side at the meeting included Director of General Administration of Sport Gou Zhongwen; Chinese Ambassador to Korea Qiu Guohong; Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council Jiang Xiaojuan; Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Li Baodong, and Vice Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice President of the 2022 Winter Olympics and the Winter Paralympic Organizing Committee Zhang Jiandong. On the Korean side were Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha, Korean Ambassador to China Noh Young-min, Director of National Security Chung Eui-yong, Chief of Staff to the President for Policy Jang Hasung, and Second Deputy Director of National Security Nam Gwan-pyo.