Open a New Chapter for the Cooperation between the Chinese and South Korean Non-official Thank Tanks

Respected South Korean Friends,

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On the occasion of the opening of the Asan-Beijing Forum 2013, I wish to extend, on behalf of the Charhar Institute, our warm welcome to all the guests for coming to attend the forum. And in particular, I would like to express sincere thanks to the friends of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies for their role in co-starting the forum and their efforts for making excellent arrangements for this session. Also, I should add the thanks to the China International Study Institute for joining in the Charhar Institute in sponsoring this forum in Beijing.

Great changes have taken place in international and regional situations in 2013. And this year has also witnessed tremendous progress for the friendly relations and cooperation between China and South Korea. Against this background, it is very timely and necessary that scholars of China and South Korea, as well as those from the United States and Japan, to come to Beijing for exchanging ideas on international and regional issues of common concern and explore new ways of thinking for developing Sino-South Korean relations of strategic partnership. It is my hope and conviction that, this forum will achieve active and fruitful results, and playing as an important platform of public diplomacy, will provide constant positive energy for promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and South Korean peoples and pushing forward the friendly relations between the two countries to develop further.

It is beyond all doubts that present-day world is far from tranquil, and that the Asia-Pacific region, and even the East Asian region where we share, is not tranquil, either. China and South Korea, as two important members in the region, are both faced with serious challenges from outside environment and practical pressures in developing our own respective economies and lifting the living standards of our peoples. For this purpose, it is only natural that our two countries have chosen to increase our contacts of all sections, deepen our mutual understanding, and strengthen our cooperation of mutual benefit. The development of our relations in all areas for the past 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, has proved that the choice of ours is completely correct.

China and South Korea have established a comprehensive strategic partnership. The two countries have become major partners to each other for trade and investment, with the bilateral trade getting closer to the target of yearly 300 billion U.S. Dollars. 142 sisterly relationships of different levels have been forged between the two countries. And there were over 6 million visits between peoples of the two countries in 2011. It is of no exaggeration that the development of Sino-South Korean relations can claim to be a model of living in peace and mutually beneficial development, not only for countries of different social systems, but also for countries of neighbors.

What should be mentioned in particular is Her Excellency President Park Geun-hye’s successful state visit to China last June when she was accorded high level warm welcome. Their Excellencies President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and other Chinese leaders had friendly meetings and deep discussions with the visiting guests. And the two sides signed “plan of action for enriching the strategic cooperative partnership between China and South Korea”, “Joint Declaration on Future Relations” and many other agreements for cooperation. Leaders of the two countries have come to agree on various international and bilateral questions of common interest, further strengthening their mutual understanding and trust. The two sides have committed themselves to work for the furthering the strategic partnership, deepen practical cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, finance, new energy and others, thus pushing forward Sino-South Korean relations to a new high. Therefore we have no reason for not confident about the future of the development of the relations.

However, we can not fail to see that both of China and South Korea are faced with many challenges and difficulties, and so are the relations between the two countries. The direction for Japan to go as well as the North Korean nuclear question are the two major issues that the international community and the two countries of China and South Korea are concerned about the most. We both hope that Japan will take a correct attitude towards its past aggression, and will continue to take the road of peace and development, doing more work conducive to the regional stability and cooperation but not doing otherwise. We also hope that Six Party Talks will make progress, and the peninsula by achieving the nuclear free aim, will become the land of development and cooperation. Indeed China and South Korea should continue to work hand in hand to tackle the challenges in front of us, and by displaying our respective advantages, do a good job in performing our responsibilities of the time to uphold regional peace and promote regional cooperation, and make more positive contributions to creating a sound structure of good neighborly relations in our region and even the rest of the world.

Sino-South Korean relations is now at an important stage of rapid development. It is the common question that our two sides should take as how to further give play to the geographical, cultural and economic advantages as close neighbors and work to push our relations to a new high, keeping to the calls of the leaders of the two countries. We must continue to increase our high-level visits, constantly deepen mutual understanding and trust, and resolutely stick to the general direction of the development of the relations of the two countries. We must continue to strengthen our trade and economic cooperation, press forward the negotiations of free trade agreement, work hard to accumulate public opinion support for developing the relations of the two countries, and prepare more suitable soil for the long development of the relations.

In the past few years, public diplomacy has been playing an increasingly important role on the international political and diplomatic stage. And more and more importance has been given to think tanks. The Charhar Institute which is a member of the think tank families of China feels happy and privileged to be involve in cooperation with the Asan Institute for International Studies for exchanging views for promoting peace and development in the region. I believe that this forum will produce a lot of precious results, displaying the strength of our cooperation and writing a new chapter of cooperation for the two institutes.

In conclusion, I wish the forum a complete success. And wish all our friends present good health and happiness.