Xi, Park pledge to enrich China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership (2)

Chinese President Xi Jinping (1st L) holds talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye (2nd R) in Seoul, South Korea, July 3, 2014. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

China is willing to launch a RMB clearance service in South Korea and hopes the two sides could speed up negotiations so as to complete their free trade talks before the end of the year.

China, Xi said, welcomes South Korean enterprises to invest more in central and western China.

As to people-to-people exchanges, Xi said both countries will celebrate the Year of Chinese Tourism in South Korea in 2015 and the Year of South Korean Tourism in China in 2016.

To elevate bilateral personnel exchanges to 10 million in 2016, Xi suggested the two sides waive visa for service passport holders and offer visa waivers for short-time travelers between the two sides.

Regarding regional and international cooperation, Xi said China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with South Korea in establishing an Asian infrastructure investment bank and advancing the plan for creating an Asia-Pacific free trade area.

The two countries, he said, could jointly hold memorial activities next year on the occasions of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Fascist War, of the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japan's colonial rule.

For her part, Park extended warm welcome to Xi's visit.

South Korea supports China to comprehensively deepen reform and believe that the Chinese dream could be realized at an early date, she said.

While the Chinese dream and South Korean dream converge, the peace, stability and prosperity of the northeast Asian region will be promoted, said Park.

The South Korean side sincerely hope that the two countries could become strategic cooperative partners who could support and help each other, stands ready to strengthen communication with China in the areas of political affairs, security and military, and is willing to exchange views on major issues in a timely manner, she said.

She expressed her hope that the two countries, with their joint efforts, could accomplish a high-level and comprehensive free trade agreement before the end of this year, so as to provide a fresh institutional framework to enhance the two countries' economic and trade cooperation, advance the two-way investment and financial cooperation and promote regional economic integration.

The bilateral cooperation should also contribute to the region and the world at large, she said, stressing to jointly promote the economic prosperity of the world and deal with challenges, such as climate change.

South Korea supports China to successfully host the informal economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) this year, said Park.

After the summit talks, senior officials from the two countries signed a series of cooperation agreements covering diplomacy, sustainable development, finance, environment protection, local affairs, customs, people-to-people exchanges and media, in the presence of the two heads of state.

The two sides also issued a joint statement.