Chinese leader to make state visit to Seoul

Posted on : 2008-03-22 14:17 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST

China has accepted an invitation for Chinese President Hu Jintao to make a state visit to South Korea, Seoul's top diplomat said Saturday.

"China has agreed in principle on the visit to South Korea by Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party and paramount leader of the People's Republic of China," Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told South Korean correspondents in Beijing.

But the timing of the visit, he added, had yet to be determined.

Yu made the announcement at the end of this three-day trip to Beijing, during which he held separate meetings with Wen Jiabao, China's premier, Wang Jiarui, head of the Chinese Communist Party's international liaison department, and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. It was Yu's first overseas trip since taking office early this month.

Hu is expected to visit Seoul during South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's first year in office, with several South Korea-China summits likely during the year, the top diplomat said.

President Lee is scheduled to visit China in early May, The two leaders are also expected to meet at such international meetings as the Asia Europe Meeting to be hosted by China in October, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru in November and the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, a meeting of leaders of Southeast Asian countries as well as South Korea, China and Japan, in Thailand in December.

The upcoming Beijing Olympics may provide another chance for the leaders to hold talks, he said.

"World leaders like U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will come to the Beijing Olympics in August," Yu said, "And considering his domestic schedules, we will decide whether (Lee) will attend the event."

During his China visit, Yu also sought ways to advance the stalled six-way talks on the North Korean nuclear program. He shared concerns with the Chinese officials that the nuclear talks, which also involve North Korea, the United States, Japan and Russia, may lose momentum due to the Pyongyang-Washington standoff over North Korea's nuclear declaration. Washington claims Pyongyang has yet to provide a complete and correct list of its nuclear programs, alleging that it has a uranium-based nuclear program and nuclear connection with Syria.

North Korea has denied the allegations.

Yu said he reaffirmed to the Chinese officials that the new South Korean government will focus on improving ties with China.

With Beijing tightening security ahead of the Olympics, the diplomat predicted little possibility for North Korean defectors hiding in China to find freedom by breaking into foreign embassies in that country.

"China will strengthen its watch of foreign diplomatic residences ahead of the Olympics to prevent terror," he said, "It will become virtually impossible for defectors to enter embassies."

BEIJING, March 22 (Yonhap)

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