Two leaders highlight ‘fast-track entry system’ as outcome of effective COVID-19 cooperation
By Do Je-hae
Chinese President Xi Jinping reconfirmed his willingness to visit Korea this year once the handling of the COVID-19 crisis improves, during a phone conversation with President Moon Jae-in, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday.
The two leaders also discussed strong bilateral cooperation on minimizing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the first time for Moon and Xi to talk on the phone since the two countries’ agreement earlier this month to allow a simplified entry system for Koreans traveling to China on business. The phone call lasted 34 minutes from 9 p.m.
“Chinese President Xi said his willingness to visit Korea this year has not changed, and Moon responded that his visit was most important for relations between the two nations,” presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a statement.
The two countries had sought Xi’s visit to Seoul in the first half of the year, but this was delayed following the pandemic which hit both nations hard. Moon and Xi agreed to discuss the visit at an appropriate time when the “pandemic situation is settled.”
“The two leaders also talked about their countries’ respective responses to COVID-19 and their effective bilateral cooperation with regard to the pandemic,” Kang said. “In addition, they agreed that the establishment of the fast-track system to ensure essential activities of businesspeople from both countries was a good example of the bilateral cooperation.”
Cheong Wa Dae underlined that the two have been maintaining close contact during the pandemic with phone calls as well as letter exchanges.
“President Xi Jinping sent a letter to President Moon on March 13 to express his commitment to solidarity and cooperation with Korea to overcome COVID-19, and underlined his position that he highly values Korea-China relations. The President also responded with a letter of thanks on March 15” Kang said. “Also they met through the G20 special teleconference on March 26.”
Aiming to minimize the impact of the pandemic on Korean businesses, President Moon pushed for reducing entry hurdles faced by businesspeople, during teleconferences with G20 and ASEAN leaders urgently arranged to discuss international cooperation on the pandemic, March 26 and April 14, respectively. Korea and China began to streamline arrival procedures for Koreans visiting China after active bilateral consultations.
Simplified arrival system
“Following the fast-track agreement, the two countries have been implementing simplified entry procedures since May 1. Recently, more than 200 Korean businesspeople entered China and started to get back to work from May 13,” Kang said.
The phone call, made at the request of the Chinese leader, is their second since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early February. During their previous conversation, Feb. 20, the presidential office said that they discussed the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and Xi’s possible visit to Korea.
The fast-track system has been operating in 10 regions in China ― Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shanxi, Sichuan and Anhui ― with active bilateral business exchanges, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The establishment of the Korea-China fast-track procedure marks the first case whereby a streamlined entry procedure is being officially made available to foreign business people visiting China. It is also the first case of institutionalizing the simplified entry procedure for Korean businessmen who are visiting a foreign country,” the ministry said in a statement May 1. “Chinese nationals visiting Korea for important business reasons must submit an applicable document certifying a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of departure and satisfy disease control requirements,” it noted.
