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South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold a bilateral summit during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Port Moresby

On Nov. 17, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that the time is ripening for resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula and promised to work together closely for the success of the second North Korea-US summit, the Blue House announced. The two leaders believe that this summit and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s reciprocal visit to Seoul will represent a major watershed in resolving Korean Peninsula issues.

Moon and Xi, who were visiting Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, reached these agreements during a summit on Saturday, said Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum.

Moon predicted that Kim’s reciprocal visit to Seoul and the second North Korea-US summit would be a success, while Xi said that accomplishing anything requires the right time, place and people, and that those conditions are all falling into place.

“Since the two leaders are aware of each other’s situation, they spent their time assessing the current situation rather than exchanging new information,” said a senior official at the Blue House.

Moon also told Xi about recent signs of progress in inter-Korean relations and North Korea-US negotiations and said that Xi has played an important role in making progress on Korean Peninsula affairs. Xi responded by saying he supported the efforts by Moon and the South Korean government for the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula and that China would continue to play a constructive role, Kim Eui-kyum reported.

Along with this, the two leaders agreed to move forward with discussions aimed at achieving a mutually beneficial free trade agreement and to have their two governments take joint steps to deal with environmental issues, including particulate matter in the atmosphere.

Moon promised to provide enthusiastic support for the success of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, while Xi said he intended to back South and North Korea in their bid to jointly host the 2032 Summer Olympics.

The two leaders agreed to push ahead with a project to repatriate the remains of Chinese troops. The project is a symbol of restoring trust and improving amicable relations between South Korea and China. Considering that 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, Moon asked for China’s interest and cooperation in preserving historical sites in China related to Korea’s independence movement, and Xi pledged his proactive assistance.

Moon said that President Xi’s visit to South Korea “would help inter-Korean relations become more mature” and urged Xi to visit Seoul as soon as possible. To this, Xi said he was “willing to visit at a convenient time next year.”

According to Kim Eui-kyum, Xi also said he had “received an invitation to visit North Korea from Chairman Kim Jong-un” and that he was “thinking about taking time to visit North Korea next year.”

By Kim Bo-hyeop, staff reporter, and Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent

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