Chinese, South Korean presidents talk relations on phone

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye held a telephone conversation on Friday, exchanging Lunar New Year greetings and agreeing to keep making efforts to jointly promote China-South Korea ties to a new high.

As a result of concerted efforts by both sides, fruitful achievements have been made in the development of China-South Korea relations, with mutual political trust as well as exchange and cooperation in various fields between the two countries becoming increasingly close, Xi said.

The China-South Korea free trade agreement (FTA) has officially taken effect and has generated tangible interests to the two peoples, while a delightful situation has emerged in bilateral people-to-people and cultural exchange, Xi said.

The two countries have promoted coordination between their respective national development strategies, and have maintained close communication and coordination on major international and regional issues, Xi noted.

Xi said that he would like to continue working with Park to jointly well guide the work of China-South Korea relations in all fields, and keep promoting bilateral relations to higher levels.

Park said that South Korea attaches great importance to South Korea-China relations, and is committed to working with China to promote in-depth development of South Korea-China cooperation in all fields.

It is very important for leaders of the two countries to keep regular contact with respect to issues of common concern, Park noted, saying that the South Korean side expresses grave concerns over the fourth nuclear test conducted not long ago by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as well as the DPRK's announcement of the plan for a new launching activity.

The South Korean side expects close coordination by the international community and expects the UN Security Council to make a response as soon as possible, to effectively tackle the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, Park said.

Xi stressed that China, under any circumstances, is firmly committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, is staunchly committed to maintaining peace and stability on the Peninsula, and insists on a solution through dialogue and consultation, which meets the common interests of the countries in Northeast Asia including China and South Korea.

He said that the Korean Peninsula can neither be nuclearized nor have warfare and unrest.

The Chinese president expressed the hope all parties concerned will, proceeding from the general situation of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, deal with the current situation in a sober-minded way and always adhere to the right direction of dialogue and consultation, adding that the Chinese side is willing to continue maintaining communication and coordination with the South Korean side with respect to issues of the Korean Peninsula. Endi