Xi ‘willing to work’ with SK leader
Print Edition
PRESIDENT Xi Jinping congratulated Moon Jae-in on his election as South Korea’s leader yesterday and expressed his willingness to work with Seoul to improve ties, which have sunk to their lowest point since diplomatic relations were established in 1992.
Xi said cooperation and exchanges over the past 25 years had “brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries and positive contributions to regional peace and development,” according to a foreign ministry statement. China would like to “preserve these achievements obtained through great effort,” Xi said.
“I am willing to work together with you so that the development of China-South Korea relations can better benefit the two countries and two peoples,” Xi said in his message. “On the basis of mutual understanding and mutual respect, China will consolidate political mutual trust, properly handle differences, strengthen coordination and cooperation, and promote healthy and stable development of bilateral relations,” Xi said.
Moon, a left-leaning former human rights lawyer, was elected on Tuesday after a corruption scandal felled his predecessor, against the backdrop of high tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea.
Moon advocates dialogue and reconciliation to defuse the situation and eventually lure it to negotiations.
He has also shown ambivalence over the US missile defense system THAAD, which has been deployed in South Korea to the fury of China.
Initially close relations between the two under former President Park Geun-hye rapidly deteriorated because of South Korea’s deployment of the sophisticated system.
Beijing says it threatens China’s own security because its radar system is able to peer into the country’s northeast and monitor its flights and missile launches.
Moon has said South Korea should reconsider its deployment, saying the security benefits might not justify worsened relations with China.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
