Moon asks for China’s help
S.Korean president links future prosperity to nuclear-free peninsula
China and South Korea will have more opportunities to cooperate on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, trade and the Belt and Road initiative following South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s ongoing visit to China, Chinese experts said.
Moon called for joint efforts between China and South Korea to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula during a speech at Peking University on Friday, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday.
Moon’s Friday remarks came a day after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in which the two leaders exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
“We must unswervingly uphold the goal of a nuclear-free peninsula and never allow war or chaos on the peninsula… China will continue to strengthen communication and coordination with South Korea on maintaining stability and preventing war on the Korean Peninsula and promoting peace and talks,” said Xi.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a daily briefing on Friday that peaceful and diplomatic means on solving the nuclear issues and safeguarding stability on the Korea Peninsula are in accordance with regional countries’ national interests and expectations of the international community.
China called on all parties to work together to bring the North Korean nuclear issue back to the negotiation track, Lu said.
“China and South Korea have always insisted on solving the North Korea nuclear issue by peaceful means. Moon’s visit and the meeting between the two leaders have laid a foundation for more practical cooperation to ease regional tension,” Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.
“Unlike his predecessor Park Geun-hye, Moon has adopted a friendly policy toward China and North Korea, which should help smooth ties between the two countries,” Li Dunqiu, an expert of the Korean Peninsula issue at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Moon said on Friday that “we don’t want confrontation or competition with North Korea. I again stress that we, along with the rest of the international community, will provide a bright future if North Korea makes the right choice.”
Chongqing visit
Moon was scheduled to visit Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality on Saturday, where he plans to visit the former office of his country’s provisional government in exile, which operated in China during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945, according to the South Korea’s presidential office.
“Visiting Chongqing is another sentimental card played by Moon to impress the Chinese with the shared experience of being occupied by Japan. Moon also wants to imply that China and South Korea were in the same boat in history and they could also jointly step into the future,” Lü Chao, an expert on Korean studies with the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.
Yang agreed with Lü and added Moon also wanted to pay tribute to Korean people who once gathered in Chongqing and then took part in the anti-Japanese activities on the Korean Peninsula.
“Moon’s Chongqing visit is also for economic benefits. Chongqing is a hub of communication in western China and a pivotal location for China’s Belt and Road initiative. By cooperating with Chongqing, South Korea can grasp business opportunities in China’s development of the central and western regions and take an active part in the Belt and Road initiative,” Yang said.
President Xi said on Thursday that China welcomes South Korea’s participation in the Belt and Road initiative. Xi said he hopes to promote the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with South Korea’s development strategy, according to Xinhua.
Yang noted that South Korean enterprises have set up branches in Chongqing, including Hyundai Motor and SK helix semiconductor.