Interview: Top Chinese legislator's visit to S. Korea to benefit parliamentary exchanges, bilateral ties: ambassador

China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang's upcoming visit to South Korea is very important to further deepen parliamentary exchanges and cooperation and promote the comprehensive development of bilateral relations, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong said.

Zhang is set to pay an official friendly visit to South Korea on June 11-13 at the invitation of the country's Speaker of the National Assembly Chung Ui-hwa.

It will be Zhang's first visit to an Asian country since he took office as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) in 2013. It also marks the first visit to South Korea by a top Chinese legislator in 12 years, Qiu said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The visit will enhance the strategic cooperation between the two countries in politics, economy, and trade and culture, he told Xinhua.H Parliamentary exchanges, Qiu said, have been an important component of China-South Korea relations.

Since the two countries established diplomatic relations 23 years ago, China's NPC and South Korea's National Assembly have had frequent exchanges, which have been fruitful and played an irreplaceable role in enhancing friendship between the two peoples and facilitating the development of state relations, he said.

As the development of bilateral ties enters a new stage, the two parliaments advance with the times, exchanging experiences in legislation and governance, conducting practical cooperation in various areas and improving relevant laws and policies so as to push forward trade liberalization and facilitate investments and better serve the overall development of China-South Korea ties, Qiu said.

China and South Korea are important neighbors and cooperation partners, the ambassador said.

Currently, China is South Korea's largest trading partner as well as its largest export market, largest source of imports and largest foreign investment destination, while South Korea is one of China's most important trading and investment cooperation partners.

The two countries are also each other's largest overseas tourist destination and largest source of overseas students, with exchange visits exceeding 10 million last year, Qiu said, adding that the two sides have also kept close communication and coordination in regional and international affairs.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to South Korea in July 2014, bilateral ties have been at an all-time high, Qiu said. Also, the signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) on June 1 ushered in a new era for the two countries' economic and trade cooperation.

Under the new circumstances, China is willing to work with South Korea to lift the strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level, the ambassador said. Endi