President Park Geun-hye had a summit meeting with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on March 23 on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit 2014 in The Hague, the Netherlands.

President Park Geun-hye said at the meeting that it is the fourth time for the two heads of state to meet, after her visit to China last year. "It proves that Korea and China have been developing a meaningful partnership based on strategic cooperation," Park said.

In regard to the missing Malaysian Airlines flight, Park passed along words of comfort and wished that there would be progress soon.

Park also welcomed the recent opening of a memorial hall commemorating Korean patriot An Jung-geun in Harbin, China. "The Patriot An has long been respected and revered in both Korea and China. The establishment of the hall has become a meaningful step that symbolizes our enhanced bilateral friendship," said Park. "I was glad to have over 400 remains of Chinese soldiers sent home on March 28."


Concerning the return of soldiers' remains, the head of China expressed his gratitude for Korea's cooperation. "In a few days, we will hold a ceremony to celebrate the return of their remains. I would like to thank President Park for her active support." Xi also added that he personally directed the establishment of the memorial hall for An Jung-geun and that this would enhance the bilateral bond.

"President Park has been hoping that a memorial stone marking where the Korean Independence Army lived in Xian would be erected. We have been making active efforts on the construction of that memorial and it will soon be completed. We hope that it will be seen by a great many Korean nationals," said Xi.

Two nations share opinions on nuclear disarmament

The two heads of state confirmed their view that North Korea's use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable and both sides agreed that over the past several months they have been maintaining open communication channels concerning all Korean Peninsula issues, said Cheong Wa Dae. Both sides agreed that they would further enhance bilateral interaction and cooperation, working toward sustained peace on the peninsula, and make substantial progress in terms of North Korea's denuclearization.

"North Korea's nuclear development and plans for economic development cannot go in parallel. We are open to talks with North Korea, but it should be accompanied by substantial progress on nuclear disarmament," she continued. "There has not been much progress in the six-party talks. If substantial progress toward North Korean denuclearization is guaranteed, and if they show a willingness to give up developing their nuclear capabilities, we would look to any channel to reopen talks," emphasized Park.

Chinese President Xi agreed with President Park. "China is totally against the North Korean possession of nuclear weapons and we comply with U.N. resolutions. On this issue, China and North Korea have different opinions. These days, China makes constant efforts to persuade North Korea. We should persuade North Korea to go in the direction demanded by the international communities," said Xi.


President Park mentioned Korea's plan to launch a new committee to prepare for unification. "A unified peninsula, with no nuclear weapons, would be a symbol of peace and would create a new growth engine in Northeast Asia. People across the region will all be able to benefit from peace and prosperity."

Swift efforts to reach Korea-China FTA

The two leaders continued to discuss a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). President Park suggested that both sides should work together to make sure that a second round of FTA talks go smoothly, following the previous successful round of discussions. She hoped that a final agreement could be reached within the year.

President Xi said that the amount of bilateral trade between Korea and China hit an all-time high of USD 27.42 million last year. "With an FTA, both nations would share the mutual and balanced benefits. We hope that the talks will speed up and bring fruitful results," said Xi.

By Wi Tack-whan, Lee Seung-ah
Korea.net Staff Writers
whan23@korea.kr