On August 24th, the fourth plenary meeting of the Committee for Future Development of China-ROK Relations, and the submission ceremony of joint report, was held via video link in Beijing and Seoul. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Park Jin addressed the event respectively. Zhang Ping, Chairman of the Chinese Committee & Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress of China, and Im Chae-Jeong, Chairman of the Korean Committee & former Chairman of the Korean National Assembly, respectively briefed the two sides on their work achievements in the past year and submitted a joint report to the two governments.

Wang Yi said that China and the ROK are close neighbors facing each other across the sea and partners for win-win cooperation. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, China-ROK relations had kept pace with the trend of the times and achieved leapfrog development, bringing huge benefits to the two peoples and making important contributions to regional stability and prosperity. Faced with once-in-a-century changes, an ongoing pandemic, and a volatile world, China and the ROK, as friendly neighbors and strategic cooperative partners, need to deepen mutual trust, enhance equal respect, strengthen cooperation and move forward together hand in hand.

Wang Yi sent warm congratulations to the committee on the successful completion of the joint research. He pointed out that, under the leadership of the Chairmen, members of the two sides shared ideas, contributed wisdom and built consensus with a high sense of responsibility for the future of the two countries. The official submission of the committee's report to the governments of China and the ROK on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties is of great symbolic significance.

Park Jin said that the two countries should uphold the spirit of harmony in diversity, maintain close communication and cooperate to jointly cope with the complex and volatile international and regional situation. He hoped that the joint report will serve as a positive reference for the policy-makers of the two governments and contribute to the sound and mature development of ROK-China relations based on mutual respect and cooperation.

Zhang Ping addressed that over the past year, with the support of the foreign ministries of the two countries and the joint efforts of all members, the work of the committee has been carried out in an orderly manner. The two sides held in-depth and candid discussions on issues related to China-ROK relations and reached a lot of consensuses. Therefore, a joint report for the two governments’ references was officially submitted today. The Committee has fulfilled its mission. It is hoped that the two countries can further strengthen strategic communication, practical cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and multilateral coordination to enrich the China-ROK strategic cooperative partnership, pushing bilateral relations to keep pace with the times and achieve steady and long-term progress.

Im Chae-Jeong said that the Commission was established last year on the 29th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Experts from the two countries actively carried out joint research in the past year, putting forward pragmatic policy proposals by reviewing the achievements and experience of ROK-China Relations in the past 30 years and focusing on the future development of bilateral relations. The committee's joint report is expected to make contributions to a more mature and healthy bilateral relationship.

Wang Chao, Chairman of the Chinese Executive Committee & President of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), and his ROK counterpart, Hong Hyun-Ik, President of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy, co-hosted the ceremony. Xing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador to the ROK, and Jung Jae-ho, ROK Ambassador to China and more than 40 members from both sides attended the event. 

The Committee for Future Development of China-ROK Relations, set up on August 24th, 2021, is a temporary track-two mechanism supported by the two governments. Its joint research takes against the backdrop of the 30th anniversary of China-ROK diplomatic ties, aims to draw a blueprint for the development of bilateral relations and provide policy references for high-level officials. The Committee consists of 4 subcommittees, namely the Future Planning, the Political & Diplomatic Relations, the Economic & Trade Relations and the People-to-People Exchanges. The Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs serves as the Chinese secretariat, and the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences as the ROK counterpart.