CPAFFC President Lin Songtian speaks with Korea Central Daily newspaper

Zeng Guangming

A s winter comes to an end and spring is around the corner， ushering in the Year of the Tiger， celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Republic of Korea began.

On Jan 28， CPAFFC President Lin Songtian was interviewed by Shin Kyung-jin， chief of the Beijing bureau of Korea Central Daily（JoongAng Ilbo）， on topics including China-ROK relations， people-topeople friendly exchanges， ChinaUS relations， the situation on the Korean Peninsula， the Beijing Winter Olympics and other topics.

On China-ROK relations， Lin said， China and the Republic of Korea are close neighbors that cannot be moved away due to their geographical proximity and cultural affinity. The two countries are important strategic partners that cooperate with each other. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 30 years ago， the two sides have attached great importance to developing bilateral relations based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. It has brought tangible results to the two countries and their people and played an important role in maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

Lin said that firmly maintaining and developing China-ROK relations serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples. In 2021， bilateral trade volume reached $362.35 billion， up 26.9 percent year-on-year and hitting a new high. He said he was glad to see that last year the ROK’s import and export volume increased sharply by 31.5 percent and 25.8 percent， respectively. Over one-third of the ROK’s imports and exports came from bilateral trade with China.

He said he firmly believed that state-to-state relations must serve the fundamental interests of both countries and benefit their people. People of vision from all walks of life in China and the ROK will cherish bilateral relations and join hands to strive for win-win cooperation and common development.

With regard to people-to-people exchanges with the ROK under the conditions of COVID-19， Lin noted that since the outbreak of the global pandemic the Chinese government has always put people’s lives first and respected science. In the shortest time， by the most effective means and at the lowest cost China has maximized the protection of the lives， health and safety of all Chinese people，who account for one-fifth of the world’s population. It also effectively coordinated epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development and thus become the only major economy in the world to achieve positive growth in 2020.

In 2021， China’s GDP grew by 8.1 percent and its international trade by more than 20 percent. In addition， China has provided solutions， wisdom and all-around assistance to the world in epidemic prevention. The facts show that China’s epidemic prevention policies and measures are accurate， scientific and effective.

Lin also mentioned the way the United States has fared during the pandemic， noting that the largest developed country in the world has adhered to the tenet of putting capital first and paid lip service to human rights. The fact is， Lin said， the daily increase of COVID-19 infection cases reached 1 million on average in recent days and the death toll climbed to 2，000 to 3，000 per day.

“This is unthinkable and unacceptable in China，” Lin said. “The Communist Party of China adheres to a people-centered principle and cherishes everyone’s life， including the lives of foreigners in China. The Chinese government is a government of the people. Any situation similar to that in the US will never be allowed to happen.”

Lin said the CPAFFC attaches great importance to the celebration of the 30th anniversary of China-ROK diplomatic relations. It will work with all sectors of the ROK to promote large-scale， all-around personnel exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation at all levels between local governments in the two countries， especially enterprises， think tanks， media outlets， students and 205 pairs of friendship cities.

Regarding high-level interactions between China and the ROK， Lin said it is normal and necessary for the heads of state of China and the ROK to maintain close strategic communication. Head-of-state diplomacy has provided a blueprint for the development of friendly and cooperative relations. It is of great significance to the steady and longterm development of bilateral relations. Since the outbreak of COVID-19， President Xi Jinping and President Moon Jae-in have exchanged many phone calls and letters. ROK Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong came to China for his first overseas visit after taking office. All these reflect the high importance the two countries attach to bilateral relations.

As for concerns about the deterioration of public opinion in the ROK toward China — especially the opinions of young people — and how to solve the problem， Lin remarked that both China and the ROK belong to Asian culture and the Confucian cultural circle. The two peoples share the same Asian values and emotional resonance and are both committed to safeguarding world peace， equity and justice he said.

He cited two phenomena as the main reasons for the worsening of ROK public opinion toward China —particularly among young people：

First， the foundation of mutual understanding and friendship has been weak in both countries. Making matters worse， COVID-19 disrupted people-to-people exchanges， further affecting mutual understanding and friendship.

Second， to safeguard its hegemonic position and vested interests， the United States has been trying to stir up geopolitical and ideological conflicts and has smeared China with groundless rumors. As a result， the ROK people， especially the youth， have been misled by the USWestern-controlled media， especially the new media， and developed a misunderstanding of China.

Lin said the deterioration in public opinion on both sides is temporary， and the solution lies with both. First， both should have a clear understanding of the situation and grasp the overall trend. They should recognize that “rising in the East and declining in the West” is a general trend independent of people’s will， and they should realize that the 21st century is the century of Asia.

Second， Lin said， the two sides should seize opportunities to make joint efforts for development. Taking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as one such opportunity， they should fully mobilize and actively encourage local governments， friendship cities and enterprises to align their development strategies and conduct large-scale and diversified people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

On the presidential election in the ROK and expectations， if any， for the new administration， Lin said the election is a major domestic event of this year for the ROK people themselves. Nobody else has the right to make any remarks. As a neighbor and good partner， he said， China will respect the choice of the South Korean people.

“We firmly believe that the wise and farsighted people will elect a new government that serves the country’s fundamental interest， creates new opportunities for its development and prosperity and contributes to regional peace and stability，” he said.

Speaking of China-US relations， Lin said the current difficulties between the two countries are rooted in the US government’s misperception and strategic misjudgment of China. Fifty years ago， US President Richard Nixon made his first visit to China. It was based on the wise and correct understanding that “there is no reason for China and the US to be enemies”. It was a trip that broke the ice and ushered in a new era of China-US relations， demonstrating the political wisdom and vision of the top leaders of China and the US.

Lin remarked that China-US relations will not improve unless the US changes its outdated Cold War mentality and geopolitical theories and acknowledges the Chinese people’s right to realize the dream of national strength， rejuvenation and prosperity.

He noted that both China and the US are strategic nuclear powers with sufficient nuclear capabilities to safeguard their sovereignty， security and development interests. Neither side can afford the catastrophic consequences of war.

Although the US is trying to decouple from China in various fields， Lin said， the two countries have developed as a community of intertwined interests. Cooperation and development meet each other’s needs and complement each other’s strengths. The US is advanced in finance， high technology and the talent pool， but it is inseparable from China’s huge market. Therefore， the two countries have to make peace with each other.

Lin noted that China and the US have had diplomatic relations for more than four decades and that history and reality have shown that as long as the two sides respect each other and treat each other as equals， they can transcend differences in ideology， political systems and cultural values to achieve mutual benefits and common development.

Lin expressed confidence that the general direction of win-win cooperation and common development between China and the US will not change. The common pursuit of a peaceful world and a better life by the Chinese and American people will not change， he said， nor will the common goal of the Chinese and American people to ultimately make rational and correct choices that serve their respective interests. “I am fully confident about the future development of China-US relations，” Lin said.

On the Korean Peninsula issue， Lin said maintaining peace and stability serves the common interests of the two countries， the region and the world. It is also a common responsibility. We should be on guard against some countries outside the region fanning the flames of the Korean Peninsula issue， deliberately provoking geopolitical and ideological conflicts， creating regional tensions and undermining peace and stability on the peninsula， he said.

If there is chaos on the peninsula， Lin said， countries and people in the region will be the first to suffer， rather than the distant source of turmoil in the world.

“Asia is our common home，” he said. “We should all uphold peace， harmony and win-win progress in the region so that all our people can live a better life.”

With regard to the Beijing Winter Olympics， Lin said that people in Asia have always respected the traditional virtue of solidarity and mutual assistance. Friends and neighbors get closer when they visit each other and should congratulate each other on their joyful events.

He noted that during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics， China sent a high-ranking delegation to attend the opening and closing ceremonies.“We are glad to see that the Beijing Olympic Winter Games will soon open. Park Byeong-seok， speaker of the National Assembly of the ROK， will lead a delegation to attend，”he said in the interview， which was conducted before the Games.

He recalled that a few days earlier， the CPAFFC cooperated with Beijing and Hebei province to successfully hold the Beijing Winter Olympics Friendship Cities Cooperation and Development Forum， which was attended and addressed via video link by the mayor of Seoul， the governor of South Chungcheong province， and the mayor of Chuncheon. They expressed support and best wishes for the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics. “It fully reflected the excellent traditional virtues of the East，” Lin said.

Lin commented that China’s hosting of the Winter Olympics has not only carried forward the Olympic spirit but also encouraged 346 million Chinese people， from Harbin in the north to Hainan Island in the south， to participate in winter sports. It will not only bring endless fun and different ice and snow sports to the people of China， the ROK and the world but will also cultivate a huge consumer market and industrial cooperation space and bring unlimited business opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation between the enterprises of China and the ROK， he said.

In the end， Lin expressed his hope that Korea Central Daily， one of the largest and most important mainstream media outlets in the ROK， will give full play to its role as an international communication bridge and continuously inject positive energy to enhance the South Korean people’s correct， objective and rational perception of China and promote friendship between the two peoples.