1. On March 30, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China who is on an official visit to the Republic of Korea at the invitation of the ROK government. In the meeting, the two senior officials discussed in depth the way forward for the ROK-China relations, the outcome of the recent China-North Korea summit talks, and the current situation on the Korean Peninsula.

° Minister Kang attached great significance to Mr. Yang’s visit to the ROK that came in the wake of the recent “two sessions,” -- a session of the National People’s Congress and another of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference that are important events in China, as well as on the heels of the visit to China by Chairman Kim Jong-un of the Workers’ Party of (North) Korea, saying that the visit clearly demonstrates China’s willingness to enhance its relations with the ROK and to resolve issues involving the Korean Peninsula.

2. Minister Kang, bringing attention to the year 2018 as the tenth anniversary of the upgrade of the ROK-China relations to a strategic cooperative partnership, suggested that the two countries put in high gear dialogue channels between the diplomatic and security authorities at various levels and thereby further step up strategic communication between the two countries. Mr. Yang, responding positively to the Minister’s suggestion, proposed seriously exploring diverse ways to that end.

3. The two sides noted with appreciation that since President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to China in 2017, the two countries have been seeing the bilateral relations move smoothly forward based on the trust between the Presidents of the two countries; and agreed to have the two governments spearhead efforts for the peoples of the two countries to feel the recent progress in the bilateral relations.

° In particular, Minister Kang asked the Chinese government to take active steps to resolve challenges facing Lotte Group and other Korean companies; and voiced hope that a larger number of tourists from across China will visit the ROK in robust people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

° Mr. Yang suggested that the two countries actively implement the measures agreed upon by the two countries during President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to China, step up communication and substantive cooperation, and boost people-to-people and cultural exchanges in continued efforts to achieve fresh progress in the bilateral relations.

4. Mr. Yang shared with the ROK side the outcome of the China-North Korea summit talks held during Chairman Kim Jong-un’s visit to China, expressing wish for the success of the forthcoming inter-Korean and US-North Korea summit meetings. He went on to suggest that with positive changes currently under way in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the ROK and China communicate and work more closely with each other to bolster this streak.

° Minister Kang, hailing the recently held China-North Korea summit talks, attached great significance to the fact that North Korea had clearly expressed at the meeting its willingness toward denuclearization and to hold summit talks with the ROK and the US. She went on to express expectation that inter-Korean, China-North Korea, US-North Korea and various other forms of active contact will take place to contribute to the efforts to achieve the shared goal of the denuclearization and establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

* unofficial translation