- Speech by President Xi Jinping in ROK's Seoul National University (abstract)

(Seoul, July 4, 2014)

Good to see you, everyone. It's a great pleasure to have the opportunity tomeet with students, teachers and friends at the Seoul National University. First of all, on behalf of the Chinese Government and people and in my own name, I'd like to express my sincere greetings and good wishes to all the guests present here

At the invitation of President Park Geun-hye, I came to pay a state visitto the Republic of Koreas (ROK)this time.Itis like a call on relatives or a drop in neighbors. "Yesterday, I had talks with President Park Geun-hye. Both of us had an in-depth exchange of views and reached broad consensuson the issues of common concern such as bilateral relations and regional and international situations," Xi said.

President Xi Jinping talked about the China-ROK friendship, China's future and the cooperation between the two countries. He stressed that China will always be a country that maintains peace, promotes cooperation and is modest to learn from others, and that China is willing to be a partner of the ROK to achieve common development, be committed to regional peace, and join hands to revitalize Asia and promote world prosperity. Xi Jinping hoped that the youth of the two countries will be faithful successors of the China-ROK friendship and active participants in Asia's revitalization.

Xi Jinping expressed that China and the ROK are neighbors. It is said that a hundred gold can afford a house and a thousand gold can afford a neighbor, while a good neighbor is more precious than gold. In retrospect of history, the tradition of friendly exchanges and mutual help between the two peoples is of long standing and well established. Moving stories about the China-ROK friendship can be found everywhere.

Since the establishment of the China-ROK diplomatic relationship in 1992, blessed with good timing, favorable geographical position and the harmonious human relations, the relationship between the two countries has developed by leaps and bounds under the principles of insisting mutual respect, mutual trust and seeking common ground while reserving differences as well as under the overall direction of grasping cooperation for win-win results and jointly creating a prosperous future.

China has become the ROK's biggest trading partner, export market, source country of imports, overseas investment destination, source country of foreign students and overseas tourist destination. The ROK has become one of China's most important trading and investment partners. China and the ROK have become strategic cooperative partners in the true sense and the bilateral relations have entered the period with the best development.

At present, while the Chinese people are striving to achieve the Chinese Dream of rejuvenating the Chinese nation, the ROK people are committed to creating "the Era of National Happiness" and the ROK Dream of building "the Second Miracle on the Han River." This intersection of development provides a historic opportunity for China and the ROK to strengthen cooperation.

Xi Jinping pointed out that as China is a country with over 5,000 years' history of civilization, it is a matter of concern to many people that facing the future, what kind of country China will choose to be. I want to talk about my opinions from three aspects.

First, China will always be a country that maintains peace. The Chinese nation is a peace-loving nation and China will adhere to the path of peaceful development, which is not an expedient at all.

Second, China will always be a country that promotes cooperation. China sticks to the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, deepens mutually beneficial cooperation with neighboring countries and strives to make its self-development better benefit the neighboring countries.

Third, China will always be a country that is modest and eager to learn. Modesty helps one to go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind. The Chinese people are proud of their own achievements, but not complacent or stalled. Their mind must be tolerant to diversity, with open and inclusive attitude to listen humbly to the voice of the world. China will continue to learn all the achievements of civilization created by mankind from the world and from the peoples of all countries.

Xi Jinping stressed that China, as a country that maintains peace, promotes cooperation and is modest to learn from others, will bring new opportunities for the development of the China-ROK relations.

For a grander sight, we should scale new heights. In face of new changes and new developments in the bilateral relations and international and regional situation, we should have broader visions and greater goals, integrate the wonderful dreams of the two countries into the more ambitious Asian Dream with oriental wisdom, make the broad continent and vast oceans in Asia become a major platform for cooperation between China and the ROK and embark on the road of common construction, sharing and win-win results with all the Asian peoples.

Xi Jinping proposed that both sides should focus their efforts in the following aspects.

First, construct an open and integrated development structure and build a community of common interests with joint efforts. We should push Asian countries to raise the level of opening-up, enable Asia to achieve integration through opening-up and attain development through integration, address side by side the risks and challenges brought by international political and economic structure adjustments and share the opportunities and fruits of Asian economic development.

Both China and the ROK should strive to accomplish the negotiation on the Free Trade Area by the end of this year, jointly push forward the all-round regional economic partnership agreement and inject sound impetus into the economic and trade cooperation in Asia.

Second, initiate the idea of cooperation and development and implement the right concept of morality and interests. In international cooperation, we should attach importance to interests and attach more importance to morality. In politics we should uphold fairness and justice and adhere to treating each other equally. In economy we should persist in mutual benefits with win-win results and common development and abandon the obsolete notion of zero-sum.

We should not only seek the wellbeing of ourselves but also that of others. Only by giving consideration to both interests and brotherhood can we obtain both. And only by obtaining the balance between both can we achieve win-win results of both.

Third, address differences and contradictions properly, and build peaceful and stable development environment. We should pool consensuses by dialogues and consultations, address differences with mutual understanding and compromise, promote common development with cooperation and win-win results, and solve current problems by long-term insights into the future. We should innovate the security idea and jointly safeguard the peace and development in Asia.

China hopes that the South and the North on the Korean Peninsula could improve their relations, and supports that the Korean Peninsula could ultimately achieve peaceful reunification on their own. The Chinese people will be reliable friends of the people on the Korean Peninsula forever.

Fourth, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges and continuously strengthen friendship between the two peoples. China and the ROK enjoy close people-to-people relationship and cultural similarity. China has a long history of Tai Chi culture and the ROK's national flag is Taegeukgi. So we can best understand the ancient philosophy of the interaction of yin and yang and the combination of hardness and softness. The two countries are uniquely positioned to develop people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Governments of the two countries should vigorously push forward and guide the exchanges and people from all walks of life and the public of the two countries should actively contribute their efforts. Our two peoples should work together, share more joy and difficulties and better write the new chapter of long-lasting friendship.

Finally the youth are the future of both China and the ROK as well as the future of Asia. Only wonderful youth can leave us wonderful memories in our lives, Xi Jinping pointed out. I hope that young people of the two countries can learn from each other and promote friendship.

The Chinese side invites 100 students of Seoul National University to come to China to participate in "Chinese Bridge" Summer Camp for university students. As long as we raise sails of friendship and cooperation and adhere to the course of mutual benefit and win-win results, the ship of friendship and cooperation between China and the ROK will certainly sail through winds and waves and constantly head for the other bright shore of peace and prosperity.

Thanks.