Chinese vice premier meets South Korean PM on relations

Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang met with South Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik here Wednesday to discuss bilateral relations and regional peace. Li said China would like to work with South Korea in further enhancing exchanges and cooperation in various sectors and promoting bilateral ties to even higher levels. The Chinese vice premier put forward a four-point proposal to develop the Beijing-Seoul relationship. First, to maintain high-level contacts and improve political mutual trust, the two sides should step up exchanges and cooperation between governments, legislative bodies and political parties. Second, China and South Korea should deepen trade ties by enhancing macroeconomic policy coordination and promoting cooperation in such key areas as finance, logistics, high-technology, energy-saving and environmental protection. The two nations might also expand the bilateral currency swap scale from 180 billion yuan (28 billion U.S. dollars) to 360 billion yuan (56 billion U.S. dollars) and pursue the start of inter-governmental talks on free trade zone as soon as possible. Third, the two countries should expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges and consolidate the social foundation for the bilateral friendship. They should take next year's 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-South Korea diplomatic ties as an opportunity to improve mutual understanding and promote friendship between the two peoples. Fourth, Beijing and Seoul should strengthen their coordination on multilateral occasions and reinforce their cooperation within the ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea (10+3) mechanism and the integration of East Asia. Kim said cooperation of all fields had seen a rapid and fruitful development since the two sides forged their diplomatic ties. He also said the South Korean side expected to take the 20th anniversary of the formation of bilateral diplomatic links as an opportunity to ramp up exchanges and cooperation in fields like politics, the economy, culture, media, youth, and international and regional affairs. Seoul hoped to be actively engaged in the implementation of China's 12th five-year-plan (2011-2015) and advance bilateral cooperation in such sectors as electronic information, biology, environmental protection and new energy, Kim said. Speaking of issues concerning peace over the Korean Peninsula, Li said tensions on the peninsula had eased recently. China hoped all sides involved would take the chance to maintain contacts, create conditions for the early resumption of the Six-Party Talks, preserve regional peace and stability, and promote denuclearization of the peninsula. As a mutual friend and neighbor of the two Koreas, China sincerely supported the north and the south multiplying their mutual trust through dialogue, and hoped they could improve relations and realize reconciliation and cooperation, Li said. Kim said South Korea appreciated China's important role in maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia. It also believed the Six-Party Talks were of great significance in taking care of the concerns of all related sides. The South Korean prime minister also said his country would like to further enhance communication and coordination with China and push the regional situation along the direction of peace and stability. Earlier, Li also met South Korean President Lee Myung-bak for talks on bilateral ties and regional issues at Lee's office in Cheong Wa Dae. Li arrived in Seoul earlier in the day for a two-day official visit after an official goodwill visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).