Spanish
Chinese Premier Li Qiang met this Tuesday in Beijing with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, and defended the strengthening of economic and trade cooperation between both countries as a way to consolidate the bilateral relationship and provide "greater certainty" to their mutual development.
According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, the meeting took place at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, as part of Lee's state visit to China.
Li affirmed that bilateral relations show a "new impetus", one day after the talks held between Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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The head of the Chinese government emphasized that China and South Korea are "important economic and trade partners" and recalled that, in the more than 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, both countries have taken advantage of their complementary advantages to promote common development. In that context, he urged to "abandon the zero-sum logic", reinforce cooperation and deepen the integration of their industrial and supply chains. He also pointed out Beijing's willingness to expand the opening of its market and advance cooperation in emerging areas such as high-level manufacturing, artificial intelligence and new energies, while encouraging South Korean companies to increase their investment in China and expressing his desire for Seoul to also facilitate Chinese investment in South Korea. Both sides, he added, should "jointly defend multilateralism and free trade". For his part, Lee stated that Seoul attaches "great importance" to its relations with Beijing and expressed his willingness to respect the fundamental interests of both parties, maintain close dialogue, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic and commercial fields. The South Korean leader also expressed his willingness to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to promote regional and international peace and stability. The meeting was held one day after the meeting between Xi and Lee, in which both leaders addressed the relaunch of bilateral ties, an appointment that also included a brief informal moment captured by the cameras when the South Korean president took a 'selfie' with a phone given by his Chinese counterpart at their previous meeting, who joked that the device could "spy". After concluding his agenda in Beijing, Lee traveled this Tuesday to Shanghai, the second stage of his state visit to China, which will last until January 7 at the invitation of President Xi.
