President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Aug. 24 exchanged letters to mark the 30th anniversary of bilateral ties.

Both countries hosted celebratory events simultaneously at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul at 7 p.m. and Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing at 6 p.m. local time.

In the two events, Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi read congratulatory letters from their respective presidents.

President Yoon hailed the tremendous development of cooperation in many sectors over the past three decades since bilateral relations were formed in 1992.

Based on the spirit of mutual respect and reciprocity, he said, the hope is that both countries seek new directions for cooperation over the next 30 years and within the process, quantitatively develop ties and go beyond their massive quantitative growth achieved over that time.

The president also said he hopes to promote more high-level exchanges and achieve concrete progress felt by the people in substantial cooperation sectors such as economy including supply chains, national security, the environment and climate change.

He also said he hopes China plays a constructive role in resolving North Korea's nuclear issue, adding that he looks forward to in-person talks with President Xi on the development of Korea-China ties over the next 30 years

President Xi wrote that over the past three decades, the two countries have developed bilateral relations in all directions while maintaining openness and inclusiveness through symbiotic cooperation as neighbors who have long maintained friendly exchanges.

He stressed the importance for the international community, including Korea and China, to unite and cooperate at a critical period marked by the intersection of a major revolution and the pandemic of the century.

The Chinese leader also proposed boosting strategic communication with President Yoon and building a solid friendship with the 30th anniversary milestone as the new starting point.

The government-run China Central Television (CCTV) on the same day reported the story as the top news on its prime-time evening news. In Seoul, the daily JoongAng Ilbo said that for the first time since 2012, the 20th anniversary of bilateral relations, the leaders of both sides exchanged congratulatory letters and CCTV covered this as its top news.

Korea.net