1. As part of the “Eurasia Friendship Express” event, an international seminar under the title “Eurasia Initiative and One Belt One Road” was hosted by the Republic of Korea-China Joint Committee on Humanities Exchanges in Beijing, China, on July 14.

2. As the ROK government’s Eurasia Friendship Express project will be conducted from July 14 through August 2, the two countries decided to hold the seminar to have an in-depth exchange of views on ways for them to promote cooperation based on the ROK government’s Eurasia Initiative and the Chinese government’s One Belt One Road initiative.

o In his keynote speech, Senior Secretary to the President for Foreign Affairs and National Security Ju Chul-ki noted with appreciation that the ROK and China have been developing close relations both politically and economically. He also stated that both of the two initiatives seek to achieve regional peace and co-prosperity through inclusiveness and openness, and thus if they are linked and pursued together, the initiatives will be able to proceed in a complementary manner.

- Senior Secretary Ju said that if the Chinese government’s One Belt One Road initiative and the ROK government’s Eurasia Initiative are linked and pursued together, they will also be connected with cooperation in Northeast Asia and the pan-Pacific region, making cooperation in a wider range of areas possible. He added that the initiative could also be linked with the ROK’s creative economy policy.

- Furthermore, he stated that if North Korea decides to change, the interlinked two initiatives will foster stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia by making North Korea develop with the international community. As part of such cooperation, he highlighted the need to work to establish a Northeast Asian development bank, a sub-regional development bank tailored to the needs of Northeast Asia.

3. The seminar was the first one hosted by the governments of the ROK and China to help the two countries better understand each other’s priority initiatives and explore ways to work together. The seminar is expected to provide important input in setting the direction of relevant cooperation.

o The seminar was an opportunity to discuss ways for the ROK’s Eurasia Initiative and the strategies of countries in the region to enhance regional connectivity to be implemented in an amicable manner.

o The ROK government will continue to work to develop and conduct cooperation projects by holding more discussions on the issue with China.


*unofficial translation