On January 21, 2013, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with ROK president-elect Park Geun-hye's special envoy Kim Moo-sung in Beijing. The two sides exchanged views on China-ROK relations, the regional situation and other issues.

Yang said since China and the ROK forged diplomatic ties over two decades ago, bilateral relations have witnessed rapid development and both sides have established strategic cooperative partnership. Increasingly close and mature bilateral ties have not only brought substantial benefits to the two nations, but also made contributions to peace, stability and prosperity in East Asia, Yang said.

Yang said that China-ROK relations are standing at a new historical starting point. China attaches great importance to its ties with the ROK, Yang said, adding that he believes their strategic cooperative partnership will see even more progress through joint care of the leaders of the two countries and joint efforts by both sides.

Kim said ROK-China relations have achieved remarkable development over the past twenty years. Under the current circumstances, a stronger and closer cooperative relationship between the two countries is of great significance. Kim said the President-elect choosing to send her first overseas envoy to China shows Park's sincerity in maintaining bilateral relations, and that the ROK is ready to further enrich and deepen the strategic cooperative partnership with China in the new situation.

On the regional situation, Yang reiterated China's consistent position on Korean Peninsula-related issues, saying that China supports efforts to improve relations between the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). China hopes the ROK and the DPRK will grasp opportunities to advance the process of reconciliation and cooperation and safeguard peace and stability on the peninsula, he said.

Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun also met with Kim on the same day.