President Moon Jae-in had his first telephone conversation since his inauguration with Chinese President Xi Jinping for approximately 40 minutes from noon today. The call was placed by President Xi to congratulate President Moon on his assumption of the presidency. It was the first time for a Chinese President to make a phone call to offer congratulations on the inauguration of a Korean President. 

During their conversation, the two heads of state made inquiries about each other’s personal well-being and exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including the direction of future developments in Korea-China relations in general and the current state of affairs pertaining to the Korean Peninsula.

President Xi began by offering his heartfelt condolences for the deaths of the Korean kindergarten students in the traffic accident involving a fire in a bus in Shandong Province, China on May 9. He went on to explain that he had personally advised the local government to make sure the aftermath of the accident is properly dealt with. He also asked President Moon to convey his words of consolation to the bereaved families.

Thanking President Xi for his words of condolence, President Moon called for the Chinese side to continue to cooperate so that all investigations after the accident could come to a satisfactory conclusion.

President Moon also said that even though he had never met President Xi before, he felt some familiarity after having seen him speak on TV on many occasions. He continued to express the hope that the Chinese Dream President Xi put forth and the “One Belt, One Road” initiative would come to realization as planned.

President Xi, saying he had yet to meet President Moon, stated he had been observing President Moon’s actions and noting his comments with great interest. He added that he was greatly impressed by President Moon`s perspectives, deep thoughts and unusual personal background.

In reply, President Moon said that bilateral relations had led to many achievements in various areas since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Seoul and Beijing, and still offered great potential for further progress. The President continued to say that the Korean Government is committed to developing the relations between the two nations into a substantive strategic cooperative partnership by restoring mutual trust.
 

Concerning the recent developments surrounding the Korean Peninsula, including the North Korean nuclear issue, the two leaders saw eye to eye on the crucial need to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and that, to this end, all countries concerned should continue to make efforts.

In addition, they also agreed that the denuclearization of North Korea and a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula are goals the two nations share.

President Moon emphasized that the North Korean nuclear problem had to be resolved in a comprehensive manner and in phases pursuing pressure and sanctions coupled with negotiations.

The President also emphatically stated that the ultimate goal of sanctions against the North is to bring the country back to the negotiating table for the dismantlement of its nuclear programs.

President Xi expressed his agreement with the President’s opinion.

In relation to the THAAD issue, President Xi explained China’s basic position on the deployment of the missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula.

President Moon replied that he is well aware of China’s interest and concern over the deployment of THAAD. He went on to say that he hoped the two sides would be able to communicate with each other on the issue as soon as possible, advancing the level of their mutual understanding on the issue.

Regarding the issue, President Moon asked President Xi to give special consideration to Korean expatriates and businesses operating in China, which were currently experiencing much hardship, so that restraints and restrictions against them can be settled amicably.

President Moon also said the THAAD issue could only be settled when there were no more provocations from North Korea.

The two Presidents agreed to dispatch special envoys at the earliest possible date. In particular, President Moon said he would send a delegation to China to specifically discuss the THAAD and North Korean nuclear development issues.

At the end of their conversation, the two leaders said they were looking forward to meeting each other in person as soon as possible. President Xi then extended an official invitation for President Moon to visit Beijing.