On February 25, 2003, ROK’s newly inaugurated President Roh Moo-Hyun met with Chinese vice Premier Qian Qichen at the president’s official residence.

Qian Qichen extended to Roh Moo-Hyun the congratulations and good wishes from President Jiang Zemin and CPC General Secretary Hu Jintao. Qian said that ten years’ development makes the relationship between China and the ROK proceed remarkably in every field, and especially in the economic and trade cooperation, so that bilateral cooperative partnership has stepped into a new stage of all-around development, with which the Chinese side is very satisfied. The new Chinese leadership attaches great importance to the relations between China and the ROK, which is a very important neighbor to China, and will promote the development of bilateral cooperative partnership to a more comprehensive level. Qian also extended Jiang’s invitation for Roh to visit China.

Qian said that at the inauguration ceremony, His Excellency delivered a very important speech, expatiating the ROK’s domestic and foreign policies in the future, and expressing the willingness to be more exertive in maintaining the Northeast Asia’s peace and prosperity. The Chinese side appreciates that. His Excellency also stressed the stance of peacefully resolving the DPRK nuclear issue, which is also supported by China. This accords with the ROK’s interest, and safeguarding the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula. Qian said that the south and the north are both hosts of the peninsular, and its affairs should be finally resolved through negotiations between the two sides.

Roh Moo-hyun expressed thanks to Chinese leaders’ congratulations, and asked Qian to extend his regards to Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao. Roh said he wishes to visit China as soon as possible, make acquaintance with Chinese leaders, and discuss with them how to further enhance bilateral relations to welcome the peaceful and prosperous future of the Northeast Asia. He said that the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between China and the ROK ten years ago strengthens the detente of the Korean peninsula. The rapid growth of the ROK’s economy is largely due to the continuous expansion of the economic and trade cooperation between the ROK and China. The development of the Chinese economy is conducive to that of the ROK economy. He believes that ROK-China good-neighborly and friendly relations and the friendship of the two peoples will be improved constantly.

Roh said that the two sides are very similar in their stance toward the issue of Korean peninsula. China always supports the improvement of the relations between the south and north, and is dedicated to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, for which South Korea is very thankful. Roh said that the peninsula must not possess nuclear weapons, and non-nuclearization is what should be achieved. The DPRK nuclear issue should be peacefully resolved through talks, for the purpose of which the relavant sides must build up mutual trust to avoid further deterioration of the matter. The ROK hopes that China could continue to play a more important role on international and regional issues.

Roh also expressed his condolences to the victims of the earthquake in China’s Xinjiang area, and his thanks to Chinese leaders’ condolences to the subway fire in Daegu.

On the same morning, Qian attended Roh’s inauguration ceremony at invitation, and in the afternoon he met with Australian Foreign Minister Downer at the hotel where he stayed.