Korea, China to bolster security dialogue

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a speech during a meeting with Korean entrepreneurs at the Hotel Shilla in Seoul, Sunday. Li stressed that closer economic ties between the two countries would create more business opportunities for Korean and Chinese companies. Participants included Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo and heads of other major Korean conglomerates. / Yonhap

By Yi Whan-woo

President Park Geun-hye and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang agreed to increase dialogue between South Korea and China over security on the Korean Peninsula in their bilateral meeting, Saturday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the trilateral summit involving Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Sunday, Park urged China to continue its “constructive role” in preventing North Korea’s nuclear and military threats in the region.

“Park and Li noted that South Korea and China have been deepening their solidarity against North Korea’s nuclear program and other provocative acts that could heighten tension on the peninsula,” Cheong Wa Dae said. “The two leaders agreed to step up efforts to further develop strategic communication between the two countries.”

Li asked Park to “patiently pursue” efforts to resume the long-stalled multilateral talks on North Korea's denuclearization.

He also hoped that his visit would boost Seoul and Beijing “to move on to the next step” in their mutual cooperation, Cheong Wa Dae said.

Li, China’s second-in-command, is on a three-day visit to Seoul until Monday on the occasion of the 5th trilateral summit.

This year’s summit is the first since April 2012.

China customarily has sent its premier to the summit among the three East Asian neighbors as part of its efforts to decentralize power among its top seven Communist Party officials, according to Cheong Wa Dae. The seven officials include President Xi Jinping,

Cheong Wa Dae said that Li also briefed Park about the latest trip of Liu Yunshan, China’s fifth-in-command, to Pyongyang in October.

Liu was Beijing’s highest-ranking Chinese official to visit North Korea in recent years to mark Pyongyang’s 70th anniversary of its respective Communist Party on Oct. 10.

Liu’s trip has fueled optimism for normalizing strained political ties between China and North Korea amid a growing need for Beijing to exercise leverage and stop Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.

Meanwhile, Park and Li agreed to ratify the South Korea-China Free Trade Agreement promptly during their discussions on ways to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation.

Park and Li shared thoughts on how to jointly engage the two nations’ plans to revitalize their respective economies.

Those plans include issues on boosting manufacturing, launching businesses in emerging markets and also implementing Seoul’s “Eurasia Initiative” and China’s ‘One Belt, One Route,” to build transport and logistics networks connecting Europe and Asia.