On the afternoon of November 1 local time, President Lee Jae Myung of the Republic of Korea held talks with President Xi Jinping at the Gyeongju National Museum.

In November, Gyeongju is immersed in the vibrant autumn season. President Xi Jinping arrived by car and was warmly welcomed by the ROK guard of honor.

President Lee Jae Myung warmly received President Xi Jinping. The two heads of state shook hands and posed for photos.

President Xi Jinping and President Lee Jae Myung stepped onto the reviewing stand. The military band played the national anthems of China and the ROK. Accompanied by President Lee Jae Myung, President Xi Jinping reviewed the guard of honor. 

The two heads of state shook hands with each other’s entourage and exchanged greetings.

After the welcoming ceremony, the two heads of state held talks.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that China and the ROK are important close neighbors that cannot be moved away, and cooperation partners that cannot be separated. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 33 years ago, the two countries have transcended differences in social systems and ideologies, and vigorously advanced exchanges and cooperation across the board, achieving mutual success and common prosperity. Facts have proved that promoting the sound and steady development of China-ROK relations is always a right choice that serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples and conforms to the trend of the times. China values its relations with the ROK and maintains continuity and stability in its ROK policy. China stands ready to work with the ROK to enhance communication, deepen cooperation, expand common interests, meet challenges together, move their strategic cooperative partnership forward with a steady pace, and inject more positive energy into regional peace and development.

President Xi Jinping made four proposals on opening up new prospects for China-ROK relations.

First, strengthen strategic communication and consolidate the foundation of mutual trust. It is important to view China-ROK relations from a long-term perspective, pursue common development through mutual respect, and promote win-win cooperation by seeking common ground while shelving differences. The two sides should respect each other’s social systems and development paths, accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns, and properly handle differences and disagreements through friendly consultation. The two sides should make good use of their dialogue channels and exchange mechanisms to pool strength for the development of their bilateral relations.

Second, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and tighten the bonds of interests. To help one’s neighbor succeed is to help oneself. China stands ready to work with the ROK in the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win to speed up the second phase of negotiations on the China-ROK FTA, fully tap the potential for cooperation in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, green industries and the silver economy, and upgrade the quality of their economic and trade cooperation. Given the shared commitment of China and the ROK to combating online gambling and telecom fraud, the two countries can strengthen cooperation at the bilateral and regional levels to better safeguard the safety of the two peoples and their properties.

Third, strengthen the friendship between the two peoples and bring their hearts closer together. The two sides should better communicate with the media and the general public, send more positive messages, and check tendencies that may harm the relationship. The two sides should conduct healthy and beneficial cultural and people-to-people exchanges to deepen mutual understanding and consolidate the popular foundation of bilateral relations. The two sides should facilitate cross-border travel, encourage more exchanges among the youth, media, and think tanks, and at subnational levels, to foster affinity between the two peoples and create a good atmosphere for the sound and steady development of China-ROK relations.

Fourth, enhance coordination in multilateral fora to jointly promote peace and development. China congratulates the ROK on successfully hosting the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. As China takes over as APEC host, it will work with member economies to advance the FTAAP process and regional economic integration, and build together an Asia-Pacific community. The two sides should jointly practice true multilateralism, uphold the multilateral trading system, and make global governance more just and equitable.

President Xi Jinping noted that the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee adopted the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan. The Chinese economy is on solid foundations, demonstrating advantages in many areas, strong resilience, and great potential. The conditions and underlying trends supporting long-term growth remain unchanged. China will remain steadfast in expanding high-standard opening up, and share opportunities with all countries of the world.

President Lee Jae Myung warmly welcomed President Xi Jinping on his state visit to the ROK after 11 years, and underscored the great significance of the visit to ROK-China relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the ROK and China have continually deepened mutually beneficial cooperation across the board, which boosted economic development in both countries. The ROK and China are neighbors, and more importantly inseparable partners. The ROK attaches great importance to its relations with China, and stands ready to work with China to further advance the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries. The two sides should maintain close high-level interactions, promote exchanges among political parties and at subnational levels, and properly handle differences. China’s 15th Five-Year Plan has identified the direction and priorities for its economic development in the next five years. The ROK is ready to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation with China, keep industrial and supply chains stable, and bring more benefits to the two peoples. The ROK is ready to intensify people-to-people exchanges with China to strengthen the bond between the two peoples. The ROK supports China in hosting the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China in international and regional affairs to jointly promote regional and global peace and development.

After the talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the exchange of cooperation documents in fields such as economy and trade, finance, agriculture, law enforcement, and science and technology.

In the evening, President Lee Jae Myung had a cordial smaller-group meeting with President Xi Jinping, and hosted a welcoming banquet in honor of President Xi Jinping.

Cai Qi and Wang Yi, among other, were present at the above events.