Foreign minister calls on two nations to guard against the possibility of a new Cold War.
The State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Park Jin, the new foreign minister of the Republic of Korea, via video link in Beijng, on May 16, 2022. In recent high-level interactions, PHOTO XINHUA has shown a strong sense of consensus on stabilizing their relationship and expanding cooperation, since Yoon Suk-yeol was elected the new ROK president, according to experts.
They made a statement as Wang Yi, the State Councilor and Foreign Minister, held a virtual meeting with new ROK Foreign Minister Park Jin on Monday.
Wang said in her first talks since Park took office last week that the China-ROK relationship has benefited the two peoples and has contributed to stability and prosperity in the region. He said that the two countries should ensure that relations develop in the right direction and that there are more than three decades of greater development of bilateral ties.
Wang also underlined the importance of China and the ROK to keep the region open and inclusive, guard against the risk of a new Cold War and oppose a bloc confrontation, as this serves the fundamental interests of both countries.
Park said that his country always adheres to the one-China principle and hopes to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as a new starting point to take bilateral relations to new heights. The meeting was the latest high-level exchange between the two countries.
After Yoon was elected in March, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message at the earliest opportunity, had a phone conversation with him soon afterward, and then appointed Vice-President Wang Qishan as his special representative to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony in Seoul. Wang, who is the highest-ranking Chinese official ever to attend an ROK presidential inauguration, met with Yoon in Seoul.
Professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, Li Haidong said that the positive interactions between China and the ROK showed the two countries' shared aspiration for regional peace and stability.
By bolstering their high-level interactions and bolstering cooperation in areas such as the economy and people-to-people exchanges, China and the ROK will be able to create a barrier against the forces from outside the region, according to Li, who said Monday's meeting was only days ahead of American President Joe Biden's first Asian trip, which will include the ROK.
Wang Junsheng, a researcher of East Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that stable Chinese-ROK relations are important for the two countries, but also have significance for solving regional and international issues.
In view of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, good cooperation between China and the ROK will help to promote stability and peace on the peninsula, Wang said.
According to a news release on Monday's virtual meeting, Wang and his ROK counterpart exchanged views on recent developments on the Korean Peninsula.
Last week the Democratic People's Republic of Korea reported its first case of COVID - 19. According to media reports, more than 1.48 million people were ill with fever as of Monday.
China supports the DPRK in fighting the disease, as it is a common task facing the entire community.
China and the DPRK have a good tradition of providing assistance to each other. China is ready to work together with the DPRK to support each other and strengthen cooperation in the fight against the Pandemic, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.