Park Byeong-seug (left), head of the Korean delegation, and Chinese State Councilor for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi shake hands at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on May 15. Park visited China to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. (Yonhap News)
By Xu Aiying and Kim Young Shin
Chinese media have spoken highly of Korean representatives currently visiting Beijing and who are attending the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
On May 15, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency published an article titled “Yang Jiechi meets UN Secretary-General, Korean delegation.” In the article, it said that lawmaker Park Byeong-seug had a one-on-one meeting with Chinese State Councilor for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi. It quoted Yang as saying, “The Korea-China relationship is very important to China.” Yang also wished for improvements in and the development of the relationship between the two countries, and that it would "move toward a new perspective and strengthen mutual cooperation through the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation,” said the news agency.
The Ming Pao, a Hong Kong daily, published an article on May 16 titled “Xi Jinping meets Korean delegation, talks highly of President Moon.” It said, “President Xi Jinping had a meeting with the Korean delegation at the Great Hall of the People after the dinner at the forum on May 14." It mentioned that, “President Xi highly appreciated President Moon’s political philosophy and ideology, and said that he sympathizes with many parts of those beliefs.”
Some other Chinese press also expressed positive expectations toward Korea’s special envoy to Beijing.
The Global Times, a Chinese daily, published an editorial on May 17 titled “The characteristics of President Moon’s China-Korea relationship.” It said that, “It's obvious that President Moon Jae-in sent Lee Hae-chan, a former prime minister, as a special envoy to Beijing to smooth the relationship between Korea and China." It then offered a biography of the Korean envoys, including Lee himself.
The government-owned China Central Television (CCTV) delivered Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying’s message, saying that, “President Moon, immediately after his inauguration, sent Lee Hae-chan as a special envoy to Beijing and expressed a special interest in the Korea-China relationship.” According to CCTV, the spokesperson said, “Now is an important time for the Korea-China relationship. I hope for more active cooperation to improve Korea's and China’s relationship, and I hope that the special envoys can contribute to enhancing political trust between our two countries.”
China’s government-run Xinhua News Agency releases an article about the meeting between the Korean delegation's Park Byeong-seug and Chinese State Councilor for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi.
xuaiy@korea.kr
