On August 13, 2008, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Myung-bak met in Seoul with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, expressing hope to further expand bilateral cooperation with China.

Lee highly commended the spectacular opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics and expected that the Olympic Games will go on very smoothly. The success of the Beijing Olympics is not only a pride of Chinese people, but also a pride of all Asians, said Lee.

Yang expressed gratitude for ROK's support of the Beijing Olympics, and congratulated ROK athletes on their good performance at the games.

Lee said ROK and China are in good relations with deepening cooperation and exchanges on economy, culture and personnel. The ROK government places great importance on the development of ties with China. The ROK government and its people have great expectations for Hu's visit to Seoul, Lee said, expressing hope that bilateral cooperation in all areas will be further enriched and expanded through the visit.

Yang made positive comments on China-ROK relations, pointing to the rapid growth of the ties and smooth implementation of various consensuses reached by the two heads of state. Yang expressed hope that through President Hu's upcoming state visit to the ROK, both sides will draw a blueprint for future development of the bilateral ties, work out a plan for friendly cooperation of mutual benefit in all areas and push for all-round development of China-ROK ties.

On the same day, Yang also held talks with his ROK counterpart Yu Myung-hwan, exchanging views on President Hu's upcoming visit to the ROK. They agreed to make joint efforts in well preparing for the visit and ensure it a great success.