BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized the importance of maintaining friendship and expanding shared interests during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s special envoy Park Byeong-seug in Beijing on Sunday, which marked the 33rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that after the inauguration of South Korea’s new government, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung reached important consensus in a phone call on advancing the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, charting the way forward for ties. He stressed that good-neighborliness, seeking common ground while managing differences, and expanding cooperation remain the right path for the two countries. Wang underlined that China’s policy toward South Korea is consistent and stable, calling on both sides to consolidate friendship, expand shared interests and properly handle sensitive issues to ensure the steady and long-term development of bilateral relations. 2025 also marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War as well as the liberation of the Korean Peninsula. Wang said China will hold solemn commemorations on September 3 and stands ready to work with peace-loving countries to uphold the outcomes of WWII and international fairness and justice. He also called for joint efforts with South Korea to safeguard free trade, oppose protectionism, uphold multilateralism and strengthen coordination within the UN to tackle regional and global challenges. Park conveyed a letter from President Lee Jae-myung to President Xi Jinping, stressing Seoul’s commitment to advancing ties with Beijing. He said South Korea is ready to work with China to implement leaders’ consensus, step up high-level exchanges, expand practical cooperation, deepen people-to-people exchanges in education and youth, and bring the strategic cooperative partnership back on track. He reaffirmed that South Korea respects the one-China principle and is willing to develop diplomatic relations with major countries, including China, to jointly safeguard peace, stability and prosperity in the region.