Chinese FM holds phone talks with S. Korean counterpart

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Monday held a phone conversation with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin.

China and South Korea are close neighbors that will always live next to each other and partners that cannot be separated, Qin said, adding that the sound and steady development of China-South Korea relations serves the common interests of the two countries and is the general direction that both sides are continuously working for.

Qin said he would like to forge and maintain good working relationship with Park and jointly implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' heads of state.

He noted that he stands ready to focus on the current situation while taking a long-term perspective, grasp the overall friendly situation and rally cooperation forces, so as to push for steady and long-term development of China-South Korea relations.

For his part, Park congratulated Qin on taking office as the Chinese foreign minister, saying that he fully agrees with China's assessment of bilateral relations.

Park said he hopes to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' heads of state and open a new era of mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

The South Korean side is willing to strengthen cultural and people-to-people interactions and personnel exchanges between the two countries, he said.

Qin expressed concerns about the recent temporary restrictions taken by South Korea on arrivals from China, and voiced his hope that South Korea would uphold an objective and scientific attitude.

The two foreign ministers exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and also exchanged Spring Festival greetings.