Greetings sent to Lee as new S. Korean president

President Xi Jinping extended congratulations on Wednesday to Lee Jae-myung on his election as president of South Korea, expressing Beijing's readiness to work with Seoul to uphold good-neighborliness and friendship, and to stick to the goal of mutual benefit and win-win results.

Calling the two countries important close neighbors and partners for cooperation, Xi said in his congratulatory message that since the establishment of diplomatic relations 33 years ago, the two sides have transcended differences in ideology and social systems, moved forward hand in hand and achieved mutual success, realizing the stable and healthy development of bilateral relations.

This has not only enhanced the well-being of the people of the two countries, but also made positive contributions to promoting regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, he added.

Xi stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of China-South Korea relations.

China would like to work with South Korea to continuously advance the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership, in order to better benefit the two peoples, he said.

Also on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stressed that China-South Korea relations are fundamentally propelled by the common interests of the two countries, do not target any third party, and should not be disrupted by any third-party factor.

He made the remarks at a regular news conference when asked what kind of China policy Beijing expects from Seoul, and whether bilateral ties will be improved under the new government.

Lee has repeatedly stated that he would pursue pragmatic diplomacy based on a military alliance with the United States and boost South Korea-US-Japan cooperation. He also expressed in his campaign last month a willingness to seek stable ties with other countries such as China.

Lin emphasized that China always opposes taking sides and bloc confrontation.

Da Zhigang, a researcher at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Northeast Asian Studies, said that it remains an urgent task for the new South Korean government to promote the high-level development of its relationship with China amid a complex geopolitical landscape, along with the need to boost the economy.

China is South Korea's largest trading partner, largest export market and largest source of imports, while South Korea is China's third-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume remaining at more than $300 billion annually.

Maintaining the long-term stability of China-South Korea relations and deepening bilateral exchanges and cooperation are necessary for the new government to demonstrate a rational, flexible and pragmatic attitude in its diplomacy as well as in its pursuit of maximizing national interests, Da said.

The new South Korean government should recognize the importance of mutual diplomatic trust, as changes not seen in a century are unfolding at an accelerating pace, and destabilizing factors in international and regional situations are increasing, he said.

The stability and development of bilateral relations, as well as their coordination in regional cooperation, have special significance in enhancing their regional status and jointly dealing with the challenge of unilateralism, Da added.