South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has hailed the development of Sino-South Korean relations, saying he believes the partnership will grow ever closer.

 

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Han said he believes a visit from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on April 10-11 will inject new impetus to Sino-South Korean relations, which have rapidly developed since the two countries established diplomatic ties 15 years ago.

 

The prime minister highlighted the complimentary cooperation between the two countries, saying such cooperation is beneficial to both sides and will continue.

 

Citing China's strength in some advanced scientific areas such as space flight and South Korea's relative edge in technology-concentrated industries, the prime minister said he believed bilateral economic and trade relations in the future will be both competitive and cooperative, but stressed cooperation will be of greater importance.

 

Both countries have also closely cooperated on foreign affairs, anti-terror, non-proliferation and environmental protection, said the prime minister.

 

The relationships between the people and governments and their economic cooperation will continue to develop, Han said.

 

Non-governmental exchanges play a dominant role in fostering friendship and the prime minister said his country will provide better system guarantees for non-governmental exchanges, including adopting the free-trade agreement (FTA).

 

Speaking of the FTA deal which was reached between South Korea and the United States on Monday, the prime minister said the pact will further promote bilateral trade and investment, boost the South Korean economy, create more jobs and improve the income of its citizens.

 

He said South Korea is keen on free trade. It is currently contacting India and Canada for possible FTA deals and is also pondering how to revive the stalled South Korean-Japanese FTA talks.

 

China is South Korea's major cooperation partner, and the governments as well as the industrial and academic circles of both countries are jointly studying the establishment of the Sino-South Korean free-trade zone before deciding when to launch their FTA negotiations.

 

The prime minister spoke highly of China's rapid development in recent decades, saying it has provided opportunities for new development of South Korea's economy.

 

He also praised China's role in establishing the peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula and safeguarding peace and stability in East Asia and world-wide.

 

South Korea will maintain its cooperation with China in a responsible manner, he added.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2007)