By Li Keqiang

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

It is my great pleasure to pay an official visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the invitation of President Park Geun-hye. I visited this hospitable country for three times, respectively in 1994, 2005 and 2011. I was deeply impressed by the tremendous vigor of your economy, the enterprising spirit of your people, and your friendship towards the Chinese people. I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere greetings to the friendly people of the ROK.

Thanks to our geographical proximity, cultural connectivity and people-to-people affinity, China and the ROK have enjoyed a long history and numerous stories of friendly exchanges and mutual learning. This has not only enriched the treasure houses of the cultural and material civilizations of the East, but also provided strong impetus for the sound growth of China-ROK relations. Two-way trade volume grew by 60 times to nearly US$300 billion in the past 20-odd years. Mutual visits exceeded 10 million per year. And there are more than 1,000 flights between China and the ROK every week, bringing our peoples into a "one-day living circle". The launch of the China-ROK free trade area will form a huge market with a combined economy of US$12 trillion.

All these achievements in our bilateral relations were made by our two peoples working together, yet more efforts need to be made to explore new ideas, new dimensions and new growth areas of cooperation, and to bring new vitality to this relationship.

--We need to bear in mind the larger picture and deepen our mutual trust. The establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the ROK was an act of following the natural course. And since then, this relationship has achieved rapid growth across the board. Thanks to its inherent inclusiveness, the development of the China-ROK relationship is like the ocean. China is ready to work with the ROK to uphold the principles of good neighborliness and equality, value each other's core interests and major concerns, build consensus through exchanges at various levels, and properly manage various issues through dialogue and consultation, so as to bring the political mutual trust between the two countries to a higher level.

--We need to tap the potential of both bilateral and global cooperation. China and the ROK face the common task of promoting economic and social development and improve people's lives. We need to better align our respective development strategies, seize the opportunities of each other's structural reform and industrial upgrading, encourage cooperation on innovation, entrepreneurship in strategic emerging industries, and foster new highlights and growth points in bilateral cooperation. We welcome ROK businesses to invest more in China and grow together with the Chinese market. We encourage the bilateral cooperation to extend to telecommunications, health care and e-commerce, to marketing, brands and logistics, and to China's central and western regions. In addition, we can also leverage our respective strengths in capital, technology and integration capability, and conduct trilateral cooperation in infrastructure and production capacity with other developing countries, neighboring countries in particular, so as to achieve win-win results.

--We need to strengthen exchanges for closer people-to-people bond. People-to-people exchanges between China and the ROK have exceeded 10 million. We are each other's largest source of overseas students. This reflects the trend of our times and the aspiration of our peoples. China will facilitate and broaden the channels for exchanges between the people of our two countries, in particular between the youths, so that our friendship will be carried forward from generation to generation. China is ready to strengthen cooperation with the ROK in the cultural sector so that "Chinese customs" and "Korean wave" would complement each other and present themselves as something exemplary in the culture of the East.

--We need to work together to uphold peace and usher in a brighter future. The peoples of China and the Korean Peninsular have lived on the fertile land of Northeast Asia throughout history as neighbors that can not be separated. Our destinies and interests have always been closely intertwined. Peace and stability in our region best serve our respective and common interests, both immediate and long-term ones. China is ready to work with the ROK and relevant countries to bear history in mind, uphold peace and open a brighter future for the people of all countries in this region.

During this visit, I will meet with ROK leaders and have extensive contact with people from the various sectors. Our topics of discussion will range from big ones like the macro-economy to small ones like food and soup. As part of the bigger topics, we will explore ways to enhance bilateral political relations, form synergy between our development strategies, and strengthen macro-economic policy coordination, so as to advance the bilateral relations and cooperation in an all-round way. On more detailed issues, we have resolved, through joint efforts, the technical issues of the export of Korean kimchi and ginseng chicken soup to China. These distinctive Korean cuisines will soon appear on the tables of the Chinese people. We will also strengthen cooperation on the research and protection of giant pandas, so that they will come to the ROK at an early date. The list of outcomes may go on and on. In the final analysis, the ultimate purpose for developing state-to-state relations is to serve the interests and wellbeing of the people. This is a way to make the bilateral relations more mature, stable and sustainable.

I know many friends in this country follow closely the Chinese economy. During my visit, I will fully elaborate on the development of the Chinese economy and the opportunities it brings for China-ROK cooperation. Let me emphasize one point. Despite the sluggish global economic recovery, the Chinese economy still operates within a reasonable range, with relatively adequate employment, the growth of both people's income and the economy, and the improvement of ecological environment. We will continue to advance structural reform, encourage mass entrepreneurship and innovation, and increase the supply of public goods and services with a view to sustain the growth of the economy. As the Chinese economy maintains a medium-to-high speed growth and upgrades to the medium-to-high level, it will surely open wider horizon for China-ROK cooperation.

This is my fourth visit to the ROK, and the first as Chinese premier. The very purpose of this visit, to put simply, is for more progress in our cooperation, for closer ties between our people, and for a new chapter of the friendship between our two countries.