On August 24, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the reception marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Beijing, during which he read President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the ROK and delivered a speech. Ambassador of the ROK to China Chung Jae-ho read President Yoon Suk-yeol's congratulatory letter to President Xi Jinping on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the ROK and delivered a speech.

Wang Yi noted that President Xi Jinping reviews in his congratulatory letter the development achievements of China-ROK relations in the past 30 years and sums up four valuable takeaways, namely taking a far-sighted view, respecting and trusting each other, seeking win-win cooperation, and sticking to openness and inclusiveness. Wang Yi said these takeaways, serving as fundamental guidance for the long-term development of China-ROK relations, are of great significance in our times.

Wang Yi recalled that 30 years ago, with forward-looking strategic perspectives, China and the ROK broke the ice of the Cold War and formally established diplomatic relations, opening a new chapter in future-oriented cooperation. Over the past 30 years, the two countries have continuously deepened political mutual trust and become strategic partners after a "triple jump" in bilateral relations, with frequent and smooth exchanges at all levels. Mutually beneficial cooperation has yielded fruitful results, with the trade volume up from 5 billion+ U.S. dollars to 360 billion+ U.S. dollars and the two-way investment topping 100 billion U.S. dollars. With the industrial and supply chains deeply integrated, China and the ROK have become a close-knit community of shared interests. The two sides have witnessed booming people-to-people and cultural exchanges and ever-increasing strength of cultural affinity and people-to-people ties between the two sides, with more than 10 million visits made annually. The two sides are committed to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and promoting a political settlement of the Peninsula issue, and have kept close cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the Group of Twenty, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the ASEAN Plus Three.

Pointing out that our world today is living through accelerating changes unseen in a century, Wang Yi said China and the ROK have been and should continue to be good neighbors, good friends and good partners.

The two sides should always stay true to the original aspiration and respect and trust each other. Facing the evolving international landscape in today's world, the two sides should cherish the cooperation achievements since the establishment of diplomatic relations, carry forward the valuable takeaways that have been accumulated, stay focused, eliminate interference, respect each other's social system and development path, accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and relentlessly safeguard the political foundation of China-ROK relations.

The two sides should always pursue mutual exchanges and seek common development. It's important to seek greater synergy between development strategies, speed up the second-phase negotiations on the free trade agreement, and deepen cooperation in high-tech manufacturing, big data, green economy and other fields, so as to achieve high-quality integrated development. It's also important to jointly oppose economic decoupling and industrial chain breakage, defend the free trade system, and safeguard the integrity, security, stability, smoothness, openness and inclusiveness of the industrial and supply chains.

The two sides should always forge ahead hand in hand with mutual understanding and affinity. It's important to strengthen exchanges between sub-national governments, think tanks, media and non-governmental organizations, promote cooperation in areas such as youth, culture, education and sports, respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in a well-coordinated way, facilitate personnel exchanges, and make the tree of friendship deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples.

The two sides should always uphold justice and promote peace together. It's important to firmly safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, act on true multilateralism, advance the process of political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, work together to address regional and global challenges, and inject stability and positive energy into the turbulent world.

Wang Yi said although the journey ahead may be long and arduous, with sustained actions, we will eventually reach our destination and embrace a brighter future. Recalling that Foreign Minister Park Jin once cited an observation by Confucius to send a message to China-ROK relations, "A Gentleman seeks harmony without uniformity", Wang Yi quoted another observation from Confucius, "A gentleman is trustworthy in word and resolute in deed". Despite differences, the two countries appreciate and respect each other, and have forged more stable, resilient and long-term trust and cooperation on this basis. This is the gentleman's way for China and the ROK to get along with each other.

Chung Jae-ho recalled in his speech that 30 years ago today, the two governments signed a joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations. Today, guests from both countries are here together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the ROK and China. The past 30 years embody a history of growth and development of ROK-China relations and also a journey of bilateral relations overcoming many difficulties and becoming more mature. Following the spirit of mutual respect, the new ROK government will continue to deepen the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, further expand the common interests of both sides, and usher in a new era of cooperative partnership in line with the principles enshrined in the joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The reception was co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the ROK Embassy in China, with friends and guests from wide-range circles in both countries present.