1. On February 16, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong had a telephone conversation with Mr. Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, exchanged greetings over his inauguration, and discussed issues of mutual interest, including overall ROK-China relations as well as Korean Peninsula issues and regional affairs.

° State Councilor Wang extended congratulations to Minister Chung on his inauguration and voiced hope that they would contribute to further advancing the bilateral relations by building a good working relationship and friendship.

2. The two Foreign Ministers shared the view on the significance of summit and high-level exchanges between the two countries in deepening and advancing the relations between the two strategic cooperative partners, and agreed to actively carry out such exchanges.

° State Councilor Wang reaffirmed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s will to visit the ROK, and the two Foreign Ministers agreed to continue active communication in order to carry out President Xi’s visit to the ROK as soon as the COVID-19 situation stabilizes and conditions are created.

° State Councilor Wang invited Minister Chung to visit China, and Minister Chung expressed appreciation, suggesting continuing consultations on such matters as the specific timing of the visit.

3. Ahead of the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022, the two Foreign Ministers agreed to further facilitate bilateral exchanges and cooperation by successfully implementing “the Year of the ROK-China Cultural Exchanges (2021-2022).”

4. The two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the specific way forward for the “Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative for Infectious Disease Control and Public Health,” which had been launched on December 29, 2020, and agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation for continued development of the Initiative.

5. The two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on regional affairs, including Korean Peninsula issues, and agreed to reinforce the ROK-China cooperation in order to make substantive progress in achieving complete denuclearization and establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula while managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula in a stable manner.