Park turns on charm in Chinese during Tsinghua speech
Visiting South Korean President Park Geun-hye Saturday launched a charm offensive at Tsinghua University by reaching out to China's younger generation, speaking in Chinese and eagerly laying the ground for Sino-South Korean relations over the next two decades.
"I believe if the South Korean dream could accompany the Chinese dream, we will certainly realize the dream of building a new Northeast Asia," said Park during the closing of her 20-minute speech.
Continuing her four-day state visit to China starting Thursday, Park elaborated on her vision for bilateral ties and regional cooperation, as well as discussing the current Korean Peninsula situation and relaying her personal experiences with the students.
The South Korean president opened her speech in Chinese with a saying from the ancient classic Guanzi, which drew warm applause. She then switched to Korean, then concluded once again in Chinese to express her well wishes.
There had been speculation on how much of the speech would be delivered in Chinese, as Park reportedly has a good grasp of the language and a fondness of Chinese culture.
Media reports even said South Korea had prepared three versions of speech, including one entirely in Chinese.
But a diplomatic source with South Korea's foreign ministry Saturday denied such reports, saying there was never a plan to use Chinese throughout the speech and Park was too busy to prepare for it.
"She didn't mean to show off her language skill, but to express her good faith to the Chinese people," a South Korean diplomat told the Global Times on condition of anonymity.
Throughout the speech, Park stressed the cultural similarities between the two neighbors, which she believes could bring the two nations closer.
Park, a fan of ancient Chinese philosophy, quoted several axioms and revealed how Chinese classical works had helped her through her pain following the assassination of her parents.
Earlier on Friday, addressing a China-Korea Business Forum, Park also used an idiom in Chinese, saying the idea "making friends before talking business" applies to bilateral relations.
During the speech, Park said Seoul and Beijing are developing a more mature and pragmatic partnership, and she believes a growing trust between the two peoples and leaders is key to that process.
She recalled her first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2005, when Xi was Party chief of East China's Zhejiang Province, and her hopes to build deep trust with Xi through the summit.
During a meeting with Park on Thursday, Xi called her "an old friend of China." The Chinese president also hosted her in a special lunch meeting on Friday following a state dinner on the previous day. China's first lady Peng Liyuan was also present at the lunch and had a friendly conversation with Park.
"The atmosphere was very sweet and pleasant," the South's diplomat told the Global Times.
During the visit, the two countries issued a joint statement and an action plan to enhance their strategic partnership.
Park regarded the statement as "a blueprint and roadmap" for developing bilateral ties over the next 20 years.
In addition to Sino-South Korean relations, Park also touched upon what she called the "Asia paradox."
"Though the economic interdependency among regional countries is growing, disputes involving historic issues, regional security and mutual mistrust made political and security cooperation lag behind economic cooperation," she said.
Park then proposed a Northeast Asia peace and cooperation initiative, which calls for building trust first through cooperation on non-political issues, and then gradually expanding to politics and security.
Xi Thursday expressed his appreciation for the initiative and supported it in principle.
Park also touched upon the Korean Peninsula situation, appealing to the audience to support her peace initiative.
She urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program for investment and economic gain, saying its plan to develop both nuclear weapons and their economy wouldn't work and would only lead to further isolation.
Park also noted that a peaceful Korean peninsula would be beneficial to the development of Northeast China and the whole country.
According to the Yonhap News Agency, Park asked China to be a "good partner" for inter-Korean unification during Friday's talks with Xi.
After the university speech, Park traveled to Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Saturday afternoon. She will visit a $7 billion Samsung plant in the city.