Yang Jiechi (right), member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, meets with South Korean National Security Adviser Suh Hoon in Tianjin on December 2, 2021. Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

China is ready to work with South Korea to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to jointly build a more mature and stable bilateral strategic cooperative partnership, China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, said on Thursday during a meeting with South Korean National Security Adviser Suh Hoon.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, held consultations with Suh Hoon in Tianjin where they exchanged their views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

China always supports the two parties of the Korean Peninsula to improve their relations. China supports a "dual-track approach" and the principle of following phased and synchronized actions to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue through dialogue. China stands ready to work with the relevant parties to play a constructive role in maintaining long-term peace and stability of the Peninsula, Yang said.

South Korea attaches great importance to developing relations with China, looks forward to closer high-level exchanges with China and deepening practical cooperation in economy, trade, culture and anti-pandemic sector, Suh Hoon said. South Korea is ready to work with China to make joint efforts for permanent peace in the Korean Peninsula, promote regional cooperation and safeguard multilateralism.

China and South Korea are important neighbors and partners. Since China and South Korea established diplomatic ties, bilateral relations have developed rapidly in an all-round way, Yang said, noting that this conforms to the trend of the times and serves bilateral common interests.

2021 is the Year of Cultural Exchange between China and South Korea and next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. China is ready to work with South Korea to take this opportunity to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication, and deepen practical cooperation and integrated development to jointly build a more mature and stable bilateral strategic cooperative partnership, according to Yang.  

As major economies and firm supporters of multilateralism and free trade, China and South Korea should continue to play complementary advantages, jointly guarantee bilateral, regional and global supply chain stability, Yang said. China and South Korea will strengthen communication and coordination in regional cooperation, multilateral framework and the global issues, and promote a fair and reasonable global governance system.  

Suh Hoon also congratulated on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the successful convening of sixth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC. He also said South Korea actively supports China in hosting of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.