The year 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Republic of Korea (ROK). August 24, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Park Jin of the Republic of Korea (ROK) attended and addressed the submission ceremony of the joint report of the Committee for Future Development of China-ROK Relations in Beijing and Seoul respectively.

On behalf of the Chinese government, Wang Yi congratulated the Committee for Future Development of China-ROK Relations on successfully completing the joint research. He said that the committee formally submitted this report to the two governments on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the ROK, which is of important symbolic significance.

Wang Yi said that China and the ROK are close neighbors facing each other across the sea and also partners of win-win cooperation. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 30 years ago, China-ROK relations have followed the trend of the times and achieved leapfrog development, bringing great benefits to the two peoples and making important contributions to promoting regional stability and prosperity. One can see the future development by reviewing the past. As China-ROK relations move toward greater maturity, a comprehensive and in-depth review of development achievements as well as of experience and lessons are truly important in promoting steady and sustained progress in bilateral cooperation.

Wang Yi pointed out that over the past year, the committee, with a strong sense of responsibility for the future between the two countries, has put forward many strategic, forward-looking and practicable policy recommendations on how China-ROK relations solidify foundation, leverage strengths, tackle areas of weakness, share ideas, contribute wisdom, build common ground, which will surely help China-ROK relations keep moving forward to higher levels.

Wang Yi said that recently the two foreign ministers held a meeting in Shandong Province. Both sides agreed that facing the major changes and the pandemic both unseen in a century as well as the turbulence and transformation around the world today, China and the ROK, as friendly close neighbors and strategic cooperative partners, need to deepen mutual trust, follow the principles of equality and mutual respect, strengthen cooperation and move forward hand in hand more than ever. The development of China-ROK relations would not have been possible without the strong support from people with insight. He hopes that the Committee for Future Development as well as experts and scholars will continue to play a positive role in advancing China-ROK relations. He believes that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Yoon Suk-yeol and with the concerted efforts of people from all circles of society in the two countries, China-ROK relations will surely embrace an even brighter future.

ROK Foreign Minister Park Jin said in his speech at the venue in Seoul that the report is of extremely far-reaching significance and will serve as an important reference for the future policy formulation of ROK-China relations. The report proposes that the two sides should actively promote multi-level strategic communication, expand parliamentary, sub-national and youth exchanges, boost cultural exchanges, and enhance cooperation in digital, maritime, environmental and health fields, which will help drive the development of ROK-China relations in a more mature and sounder direction. In the future, the ROK and China should uphold the spirit of harmony without uniformity, deepen cooperation and seek common development on the basis of mutual respect. He hopes that experts from the two countries will continue to strengthen communication and exchanges on the basis of the results and experience from the committee.

The two sides jointly unveiled the report. Chairman of the Chinese side Zhang Ping and Chairman of the ROK side Lim Chae-jung of the Committee for Future Development of China-ROK Relations, reported the work achievements of the Chinese and the ROK committees respectively. Chairman of the Chinese Executive Committee Wang Chao and Chairperson of the ROK Executive Committee Hong Hyun-Ik co-hosted the ceremony.

The Committee for Future Development of China-ROK relations, officially founded in August 2021, aims to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-ROK diplomatic relations in 2022 as an opportunity to carry out joint research and provide proposals for the two governments on the future development of bilateral relations. On behalf of the Chinese government, Prof. Xing Liju participated in drafting the joint report of the Committee for Future Development of China-ROK Relations. 

For more details, please visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the P.R.C.