Chinese FM urges ROK to cherish bilateral ties

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday urged the Republic of Korea (ROK) to value the hard-won results of the bilateral ties and work with China to overcome disturbance to ensure the healthy development of the ties.

Wang made the remarks as he met with a delegation of the Minjoo Party of Korea.

"China and the ROK are close neighbors," Wang said, adding that the Chinese and ROK people have benefited greatly from the all-round development of the ties over the 25 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations.

"The two sides should cherish the hard-won results, enhance mutual trust and overcome disturbance to make sure that the bilateral ties will continue developing in a healthy way," said the foreign minister.

Wang noted that China understands ROK's need to safeguard the nation and people's security. "What the Chinese side is opposed to is the unilateral push for the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) that will harm China's strategic security interests," he added.

Wang said he hopes the two sides will find an appropriate solution through communication and consultation so that the exchange and cooperation between the two countries in various fields will not be affected.

Echoing Wang on his remarks on the bilateral ties, the delegation said the Minjoo Party of Korea stands ready to work more actively to help overcome the difficulty and advance the bilateral ties.