Premier Li to visit ROK, attend China-Japan-ROK summit

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will pay an official visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) and attend the sixth trilateral summit between China, Japan and the ROK in the country, China's Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.

Li's visit to the ROK from Saturday to Monday is at the invitation of ROK President Park Geun-hye, spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at the ministry's daily press briefing.

It will be Li's first visit to the ROK as premier, and the first ROK visit by a Chinese premier in five years. It will be good for relations with the ROK as well as regional peace, development and prosperity, Hua said.

Li will hold talks with Park, meet other leaders and attend activities on economic cooperation and people-to-people ties, Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told a press conference later on Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Park have had frequent meetings and reached important consensus in recent years, and this latest engagement will further strengthen bilateral ties, said Liu.

Assistant Minister of Commerce Tong Daochi said at the press conference that the two countries will sign a number of deals during the premier's visit.

The free trade agreement the two sides signed in June is expected to take effect soon as it is currently undergoing approval procedures in both countries.

As for the trilateral summit meeting, Liu told reporters that China hopes the first meeting in three years will set the direction for future China-Japan-ROK cooperation.

The three leaders will exchange views on trilateral cooperation and regional and global issues of common concern, meet with journalists and attend a business summit.

China hopes the meeting will lead to more China-Japan-ROK cooperation in both traditional and new fields, Liu said.

It will also help improve the economic situation, both locally and globally, added Tong.

Spokeswoman Hua called on the three parties to smooth out their historical and other sensitive issues so as to guarantee a healthy and stable trilateral relationship.

The China-Japan-ROK trilateral summit was an annual event from 2008 to 2012. However, the meeting was suspended after the fifth one in May 2012 amid heightened regional tensions.