Interview: S. Korea willing to promote mutually beneficial cooperation with China, deliver tangible results to both peoples, says president

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has said that he is willing to work with Chinese President Xi Jinping to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between South Korea and China, improve the lives of the peoples of both countries, and create tangible results for them.

Lee made the remarks in an exclusive written interview with Xinhua recently. At the invitation of the South Korean president, Xi will attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju and pay a state visit to South Korea from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.

It will be the first meeting between the two heads of state since the new South Korean government took office. Therefore, this visit holds special significance for bilateral relations, Lee said.

Lee further said that Xi and he both started at the local government level, engaging with the people and implementing the philosophy that people's livelihood comes first, and that both eventually became national leaders.

Lee said he will work with Xi to continuously promote the development of the South Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership, amid dramatic changes in the internal and external environment since the two countries established diplomatic ties.

On his expectations for Xi's visit, Lee hoped to have in-depth discussions on specific plans to enhance practical cooperation to improve people's livelihood, expand the consultation channels for bilateral economic and trade cooperation, accelerate discussions to make practical progress in the negotiations on the South Korea-China Free Trade Agreement to include services and investment, and create a new institutional foundation for economic and trade cooperation.

As major economies, South Korea and China are partners in promoting regional development and prosperity. At present, China remains South Korea's largest trading partner and a core partner for ensuring the stability of the supply chain, Lee said.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, the two countries have formed complementary industrial structures and supply chains, and carried out close cooperation, he said, stressing that based on this, the two countries still maintain and continue to develop a firm trade and investment relationship despite the current uncertainties in the global economy.

Such vigorous economic and trade exchanges have injected impetus into the industries and economies of the Asia-Pacific region and even the world, he said.

The two countries should continue to enhance cooperation in industry and supply chains, noted Lee, adding that he looked forward to having in-depth discussions with Xi on a cooperation plan for industry and supply chains.

He also looked forward to strengthening cooperation in areas such as culture and the environment to enhance the quality of life of both peoples, and to continuing to expand people-to-people exchanges.

On maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, Lee said that he will work with China to strengthen strategic communication based on the consensus that peace and stability are in the common interests of both countries, and achieve denuclearization and peace on the peninsula.

On the issue of peace, Lee noted that South Korea urgently needs China's constructive role in order to achieve a substantive solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and to build peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Noting that this year marks South Korea's return as the host of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting after two decades, Lee said that, through this meeting, South Korea remains committed to cooperation among APEC member economies and promoting the implementation of various collaborative projects. This aims to achieve shared prosperity and development, transforming APEC into an effective and substantive platform for cooperation.

This year's agenda also includes tackling challenges like fostering artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and managing demographic shifts, issues that extend beyond any single nation's capabilities, he said, adding that the best solutions emerge when all parties gather to share successful policies and explore diverse policy options.

This is precisely the kind of issue that exemplifies the spirit of multilateralism, he said.

Lee said he will closely consult with APEC member economies, including China, to make APEC a multilateral platform that not only explores trade and investment but also discusses future economic and trade issues, such as AI and demographic structures.

The president said he is very glad that China will take over as the host of APEC next year, emphasizing that both South Korea and China support transforming APEC into an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community, and promoting cooperation within APEC.

The experience of South Korea and China working together for growth and common development in various fields will be of great help in achieving APEC's goal of common prosperity for the people of the region, he said.

For China to successfully lead the APEC meeting next year, Lee said South Korea will offer assistance -- in particular, South Korea will support China in continuously exploring and developing issues surrounding AI cooperation and addressing demographic changes proposed by South Korea.

Recalling his multiple visits to China during his tenure as the mayor of Seongnam city and the governor of Gyeonggi province, Lee mentioned several key moments, including signing a sister-city agreement between Seongnam and Huizhou City in China's southern province of Guangdong in 2016, attending the Summer Davos Forum in northeast China's coastal city of Dalian in 2017, and visiting China's southwestern city of Chongqing in 2019.

Lee said that he was greatly impressed by China's splendid culture and economic development, and was optimistic about the future of South Korea-China relations based on this.

He said that in order to accurately set the development direction of bilateral relations and maintain the momentum of mutually beneficial cooperation, it is important to strengthen mutual political trust and maintain strategic communication through mutual visits by the heads of state.

Lee said he hoped he could visit China again soon and engage once again in close discussions with Xi.

Looking ahead to the future of bilateral economic and technological cooperation, Lee noted that with China's significant advancements in industrial competitiveness and high-tech capabilities, competition between businesses of the two countries has become increasingly common.

Lee believed that South Korea and China can pool their wisdom to foster a mature strategic cooperative partnership based on friendly competition and cooperation on an equal footing. In particular, he said it was imperative for both sides to explore new complementary cooperation models in the economic and trade fields to further energize businesses and industries in the two countries.

Taking Xi's state visit to South Korea as an opportunity, Lee said he hoped that both sides would strive to further promote bilateral cooperation, and make tangible contributions to addressing issues involving people's livelihood and peace between both nations. ■