Chinese publicity chief hails South Korea trip as successful

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 23, 2016, 17:45 Updated : May 23, 2016, 17:45

Liu Qibao, China's publicity chief is in conversation with South Korea's parliamentary speaker Chung Ui- hwa [Namkung Jinwoong = timeid@]


China's publicity chief Liu Qibao hailed his visit to South Korea as "successful" Monday and said his goal was to promote bilateral personal exchanges especially between the political parties of the two countries.

"My trip was also successful," Liu said at talks with South Korea's parliament speaker Chung Ui-hwa on the final day of his four-day visit, recalling hospitality shown by the speaker and other officials during last year's trip by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

Liu, a Politburo member of China's Communist Party who heads the Central Committee's Publicity Department, said he had been in South Korea mainly to promote "party-to-party exchanges". "At the same, it's designed to strengthen personal exchanges between the two countries."

The meeting at Chung's office followed a media forum in which Liu urged Chinese and South Korean journalists to bolster their co-operation based on mutual trust in the international community despite differences in their ideology and standpoint.

"If South Korea and China trust each other and cooperate at a time when there is a stride forward in their relations, the voice of their people will be sung more loudly in the international community," he said, admitting South Korean and Chinese journalists have "different ideology and perspective".

Liu said Seoul and Beijing have bolstered their "strategic partnership" following Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposal for closer Sino-Korean relations during his trip to Seoul in 2004.

He also stressed the need for the role and importance of traditional media, saying newspapers, news agencies and TVs are still regarded as the "crucial provider and disseminator" of information despite an upsurge in the number of new media groups and Internet-based news outlets.

At talks with Chung, Liu said the media forum would help Chinese and South Korean journalists increase "mutual understanding and cement their friendship". "I believe that will contribute to developing relations between the two countries."

Liu also said an exhibition featuring Chinese and South Korean photo artists on the southernmost resort island of Jeju last week had created "a very fine effect".

The exhibition followed an agreement between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping to designate 2015 as the Year of Visiting China and 2016 as the Year of Visiting South Korea.

Aju News Lim Chang-won and Park Se-jin
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