Seoul, Beijing upgrade partnership
Korea Times | 05-27-2008
Seoul, Beijing Upgrade Partnership
By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed Tuesday to forge a strategic partnership'' between the two countries.
In a summit in Beijing, the two leaders agreed to upgrade their ties from a partnership of comprehensive cooperation to afuture-oriented strategic partnership,’’ Lee’s aides said.
Lee arrived in Beijing earlier in the day for a four-day visit that will also bring him to Qingdao, Shandong Province, where a large number of, mostly small- and medium-sized Korean businesses are operating.
The visit follows Lee’s trip to the United States and Japan last month.
During the Kim Dae-jung administration from 1998 to 2002, Korea and China defined their relationship as a cooperative partnership,'' which was elevated to apartnership of comprehensive cooperation’’ under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
When they established diplomatic ties in 1992, the two countries agreed to strengthen their relationship to the level of ``friendly cooperation.’’
A presidential aide said the strategic bilateral relations indicate that the two countries will expand their cooperation from trade to other fields, including diplomacy, regional security and North Korea policies.
He also said the summit results involve bilateral trade talks, noting that the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between Korea and China will be sought after joint research.
South Korea is China’s third largest trading partner and fourth source of investment, while China is Korea’s biggest trading partner.
The leaders agreed to cooperate for the peaceful settlement of the North Korea nuclear problem. Lee sought Chinese support for his government’s drive to open and enrich the North through denuclearization.
Korean government officials said that Lee’s visit may also be interpreted as one to express condolences, as he will be the first Asian leader to arrive in Beijing following the devastating earthquake that hit southwestern China two weeks ago. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Sichuan Province on May 12, reportedly causing more than 80,000 deaths.
Lee has already extended condolences on several occasions and offered to give maximum support to the Chinese government to help it overcome the disaster during his visit to the Chinese Embassy in Seoul last week.
Some officials in Beijing have reportedly been concerned that Lee’s U.S.-centered diplomacy might have a negative effect on Korea-China relations, as well as on the political circumstances of Northeast Asia.
Now the issue is whether Lee’s China visit will help upgrade the two-way diplomatic status and open a new era in bilateral cooperation.
Lee is scheduled to meet with Premier Wen Jiabao and other Chinese leaders today.
