South Korean Envoy Reports Positive Signals from China Despite No Meeting with Xi Jinping
BEIJING - A South Korean delegation led by Special Envoy Park Cheol-min concluded a visit to China on Tuesday, reporting constructive discussions with high-ranking Chinese officials despite not securing a meeting with President Xi Jinping.The visit, beginning on the 24th, focused on bolstering bilateral relations adn addressing sensitive ancient and economic issues.
During the trip, Park met with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People’s Congress – the highest-ranking official he engaged with during the visit – placing him third in China’s power structure after Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. He also met with a deputy vice president of the People’s Congress.
According to reports, Xi Jinping previously met with envoys dispatched by former South Korean Presidents Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in, making this omission a notable point. However, Park conveyed that Chinese officials emphasized the mutual benefits of a strong relationship. “xi Jinping emphasized that both sides would benefit if they were friendly, and they would lose all if they were not,” Park relayed. Chinese officials expressed a desire to “join hands with Korea and promote the relationship between the two countries.”
The delegation secured consensus on several key areas. Park stated that both Xi Jinping and President Yoon Suk Yeol have agreed on deepening the strategic cooperation partnership between Korea and China, and now the focus is on “specifying them and maturing” that partnership. Discussions also highlighted the importance of private exchanges, friendships, and economic and cultural cooperation, with a call for China to collaborate “for peace and stability in the region.”
A critically important outcome of the visit was progress on three key issues: a joint research initiative with Seoul national University and Beijing University to address anti-Korean sentiment and historical grievances; cooperation with the Dalian Danggu district to locate the remains of Ahn jung-geun, a Korean independence activist assassinated in 1909; and a consensus to move forward with the second phase of the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA).Park also indicated significant progress in cooperation regarding core minerals,specifically rare earths,but refrained from providing specific details ”in consideration of equity with other countries.”
One Chinese official, a deputy leader who spent 40 years working in Shanghai, was noted for his significant contributions to Korean-Chinese exchange and cooperation.Another official emphasized China’s desire for “continuous, healthy, and stable growth of bilateral relations” to benefit both nations and contribute to regional peace and prosperity.When questioned about the lack of a meeting with President Xi, Park stated that China “only explained the reason for a certain reason,” suggesting the decision was based on internal chinese considerations.
