Chinese vice president meets with S. Korean president

Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan met with South Korea's outgoing President Moon Jae-in on Monday, saying China-South Korea relations have made significant progress over the past five years.

Wang, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, arrived here to attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol.

Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and the China-South Korea Year of Cultural Exchanges, Wang said the two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges, deepened practical cooperation and maintained smooth multilateral communication and coordination.

The Chinese and South Korean economies are highly integrated, Wang said, adding that in particular, economic cooperation between the two countries managed to grow amid the sluggish global economy last year, demonstrating the resilience and great potential of bilateral economic cooperation.

Wang said China and South Korea are close neighbors and major cooperative partners with broad common interests.

"No matter how the international and regional situation changes, the fundamentals of China-South Korea friendly cooperation will not change and cannot be changed, which is an important inspiration from the history of bilateral relations," he noted.

Wang said China is willing to join hands with South Korea in pushing forward the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership to benefit people of the two countries.

China appreciates South Korea's important contributions to improving inter-Korean relations and promoting the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, Wang said, noting that China stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with South Korea to make joint efforts to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace and stability in the region at an early date.

For his part, Moon said that over the past five years, South Korea-China relations have overcome difficulties and achieved development, expressing his hope that the next government will maintain such a momentum.

South Korea speaks highly of China's constructive role in the Korean Peninsula affairs, Moon said, adding that the country is ready to work with China to take the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to further strengthen communication, expand cooperation and continuously enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, so as to lift bilateral ties to a higher level.