SEOUL, May 26 (AJU PRESS) - Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang met in Seoul Sunday to discuss strategies for enhancing economic collaboration and addressing crucial regional and global issues.
Premier Li, making his first visit to Korea since taking office in March 2023, is also set to attend a trilateral summit with President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday.
In his opening remarks, President Yoon highlighted the importance of close cooperation between Korea and China, not only to strengthen their bilateral relationship but also to contribute to global peace and prosperity. He stressed the need for joint efforts in mitigating the economic challenges arising from global conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"Just as Korea and China have contributed to each other's development and growth by overcoming various challenges together over the past 30 years, I hope that we continue to strengthen our cooperation amid today's global complex crises," Yoon stated.
Premier Li emphasized the significant economic ties between China and Korea and expressed a desire to deepen these relations for mutual benefit. "China and Korea have always maintained mutual respect, deepening friendship and mutual trust through equal dialogue and sincere communication. China wishes to work together with Korea to be reliable and good neighbors, as well as supportive partners who help each other succeed," Li said.
This visit follows their first meeting in September 2023 during an ASEAN summit in Indonesia. Li's visit marks the first by a Chinese premier to Korea in nine years, the last being former Premier Li Keqiang. Despite being Korea's largest trading partner, the relationship with China has been strained due to Seoul's closer alignment with Washington under the Yoon administration.
The trilateral summit, set for Monday, is the first since the last meeting held in Chengdu, China, in 2019.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
