Speaker Chung Ui-wha, left, shakes hands with President Xi Jinping of China during his call at the Great Hall of the People on Dec. 18, 2014. The Speaker visited China at the invitation of Chairman Zhang Dejiang of the National People’s Congress(NPC) of China to consolidate the ties with China’s parliament and the National Assembly.(Photos:Speaker Chung’s Office)

During his official visit to Beijing, Speaker of the National Assembly Chung Ui-hwa paid a visit to President Xi Jinping on Dec. 18 at the Great Hall of the People. They talked about solidifying friendship, strengthening economic cooperation between Korea and China, peace in Northeast Asia, Speaker Chung’s office said.

Speaker Chung said the bilateral relationship between two neighboring nations should be boosted to a friendship regiment from the strategic cooperative companionship. The speaker said President Park Geun-hye and President have been able to bring the relationship between the two countries to a mature stage, giving real benefits to both parties as strategic cooperative companions. He expressed hope that Korea-China ties could go step further and become a “Korea-China friendship regiment” with the end of the Korean War facing the 70th anniversary.

Speaker Chung, who went to China on the invitation of Chairman Zhang Dejiang of the National People’s Congress, said there is a need for expanded exchanges of meetings between the leaders of the two countries’ parliaments. Exhibitions and other cultural exchanges are also important for both countries, and they have to be expanded.

President Xi said Speaker Chung came to China at the right time leading his entourage, adding that he heard the speaker had a very good meeting with Chairman Zhang Dejiang of NPC and the parliaments of the two countries should increase exchanges with each other so they can understand and cooperate better in the days ahead. Xi said China-Korea relations have been sound and growing every year in such sectors as legislatures, parties, government and regions, “and other areas for exchanges so that we can expand joint understanding and trust in the days ahead,” he said. 

The Chinese Chief Executive said the exchange of political leaders from both countries is very important as he is for diverse cooperative projects between the legislatures of the two countries, noting that Speaker Chung’s  visit to China has been significant in that they were able to build systematic exchanges for legislative leaders of the countries, spurring exchanges between the National Assembly and NPC in China as the political leaders visits to each other’s country are very important in cementing ties between the nations.

If North Korea accepts preconditions for resumption of the Six Party Talks, Speaker Chung said those talks would open as early as possible. Xi said China is ready as always to play a constructive role in denuclearization the Korean Peninsula and for peace in Northeast Asia.

Chung noted that next year is a crucial year for Korea and China and Chairman Zhang Dejiang agreed that the legislatures in both Korea and China declare a joint statement on peace in Northeast Asia and the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. In order to restore normal relations between the South and North, a parliamentary meeting between the two divided Koreas may be helpful, Chung said. To push the matter forward, Chung said he plans to meet with North Korea’s Kim Young-nam and he hoped that President Xi would pay great attention to the matter.