President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation for 35 minutes from 5:00 this afternoon. After President Moon explained to President Xi the results of the recent inter-Korean summit, they exchanged ideas on the issues raised.

President Moon noted that the success of the inter-Korean summit was attributable to the full support and backing of President Xi. Importantly, President Moon said that President Xi’s drive for the denuclearization of North Korea on many occasions, including during the late March visit to China by Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong Un, as well as the expression of his position in support of the success of the inter-Korean summit served as a great boost. 

President Xi congratulated President Moon on the successful hosting of the inter-Korean summit and the announcement of the Panmunjeom Declaration. He noted that President Moon’s role was critical in leading the positive change in the situation on the Korean Peninsula up until such accomplishments were made.

President Xi said that during Chairman Kim’s meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, he had expressed his strong willingness to improve inter-Korean relations, had reasserted his commitment to denuclearization, including through the closure of a nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, and had emphasized his determination to put an end to the history of hostile confrontation on the Korean Peninsula through the declaration of the end of the KoreanWar. 

Noting that the success of a planned summit between North Korea and the United States was a key to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Xi made a proposal that Korea and China work together to maintain and further enhance bilateral cooperation while engaging in close communication. 

In this regard, President Moon underscored that President Xi`s continued interest and support as well as enhanced contributions of the Chinese Government were crucial in materializing complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and settlement of permanent peace, including through the North Korea-U.S. summit.  

The two leaders also agreed that Korea and China would closely communicate and actively cooperate with each other in the process of declaring an end to the War and replacing the Armistice Agreement with a peace treaty. 

Speaking of the Korea-China exchanges and cooperation, President Moon expressed the hope that now the two Governments would be able to more closely communicate and cooperate with each other and make additional accomplishments in projects that could help the peoples of the two countries feel the benefit. President Xi responded that China valued its exchanges and cooperation with Korea and that there would be an increase in people-to-people and cultural exchanges as had been agreed upon. 

Regarding the phone call today, President Moon said he felt confident that the hotline, which was agreed upon between the two Presidents during his visit to China last December, was now fully operational.