Chinese President Xi Jinping said he would seriously consider visiting South Korea when meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck Soo on the sidelines of the 19th Asian Games (ASIA) on September 23.
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| Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck Soo in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, on September 23. (Source: South Korean Prime Minister's Office) |
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping first raised the issue during a meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck Soo in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, eastern China, right before the opening ceremony of the Asian Games.
“This means President Xi Jinping knows it is his turn to visit South Korea,” the official said, adding that the visit “has been long delayed.”
The last time Xi Jinping visited South Korea was in 2014. President Yoon Suk Yeol extended the invitation to the Chinese leader when the two met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022.
Reuters reported that during a meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck Soo, the Chinese leader expressed his willingness to work with South Korea to promote a strategic partnership that develops with the times.
According to First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin, Xi Jinping also expressed support for inter-Korean reconciliation and pledged to continue efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Calling on China to play a constructive role in the matter, Prime Minister Han Duck Soo announced President Yoon Suk Yeol's "Bold Initiative" policy of providing massive economic assistance to North Korea in exchange for its denuclearization steps.
Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin said Xi Jinping appreciated Seoul's efforts to resume the annual trilateral summit among South Korea, China and Japan, and welcomed holding the trilateral summit at an appropriate time.
Started in 2008, the most recent trilateral summit took place in 2019.
The commitment to cooperation was made ahead of a trilateral meeting in Seoul on September 26 between South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won, Japanese Senior Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong.
Mr. Chang Ho-jin quoted the head of the South Korean government as emphasizing that "efforts will be made to ensure that the summit can be held promptly, starting with the high-level meeting next week and moving forward to the foreign ministers' meeting."
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| This is the first visit by a South Korean prime minister to China in four and a half years. (Source: CGTN) |
According to the South Korean Vice Foreign Minister, this is the first meeting between Prime Minister Han Duck Soo and President Xi Jinping. Han Duck Soo's presence in Hangzhou also marks the first visit by a South Korean prime minister to China in four and a half years.
“I hope to foster healthy and mature relations between South Korea and China based on mutual respect, mutual benefit and common interests,” Han Duck Soo was quoted as saying by the South Korean Prime Minister’s Office.
Earlier in the day, as part of his two-day visit, Prime Minister Han Duck Soo attended a luncheon hosted by Xi Jinping for leaders of countries competing at the 2023 Asian Games.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the visit, the South Korean leader affirmed that Seoul is committed to maintaining friendly relations with Beijing and that his upcoming trip to Hangzhou aims to "demonstrate Seoul's dedication to strengthening Korea-China relations."
According to Yonhap, South Korea often sends its culture minister to such events.
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