Xi suggests summit with S Korean counterpart in near future

Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested a summit in the near future to his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye, the Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.

President Xi said in a personal letter to his South Korean counterpart that "I look forward to making a beautiful blueprint for the relationship between China and South Korea after meeting with President Park in the near future," according to Lee Mi-yon, presidential spokeswoman for foreign correspondents. Lee told Xinhua that the two leaders talked about the summit in a phone call last week.

"I wish to promote peace and stability in the region and make people of both nations happier by making efforts to strengthen and deepen strategic cooperative partnership between China and South Korea," Lee quoted Xi as saying in the letter.

Commenting on the meeting with Park in Seoul in July 2005, Xi said that "I hope to build deeper professional relationship and personal friendship with President Park," noting that he had vivid memories of the meeting about eight years ago.

Xi said the two countries have made rapid development and reached great achievements across all sectors since they forged diplomatic relations in 1992, noting that it had brought real benefits to people of both nations and made significant contribution to regional and global peace and prosperity.