Park's side trip to Xi'an

Though ROK President Park Geun-hye will spend most of her ongoing state visit in Beijing, she also plans to take a side trip to Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province.

She chose to visit this city because it is an ancient cultural city with more than 3,000 years of history, a hub for China's Great Western Development Strategy and one of the top three educational cities in the country.

"It best illustrates the past, present and future of the country," according to ROK media.

Once the eastern terminus of the ancient Silk Road, Xi'an now serves as the heartland for exchanges and cooperation between ROK and the western part of China.

Korean businesses have a strong presence there, and more are expected to move to the city in the years to come.

From a long-term perspective, the region also has enormous potential as a facilitator of future collaboration between the two nations since it can serve as a base for Korean businesses to advance into Central Asia and Europe.

With this background and because it is necessary to visit diverse local areas, Xi'an has been included in the president's itinerary.

During her stay in Xi'an, Park is scheduled to meet with high-ranking officials from Shaanxi province and discuss how to promote bilateral cooperation.

The president will also take time to visit ROK-funded companies, meet with members of the Korean community and tour historic sites. She will return to Korea on the afternoon of June 30.

The president's trip to Xi'an will mark the first visit to the city by a Korean head of state on a visit to China.

In light of this occasion and also the administration's priorities of achieving economic revival and cultural renaissance, her visit is expected to contribute to further expanding economic cooperation as well as promoting bilateral cultural exchanges between the two countries, thereby reinforcing their strategic cooperative partnership.