S. KOREA-CHINA HEADS TALK OVER PHONE

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President Moon Jae-in spoke on the phone with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The two heads of state have agreed that the Chinese president would visit Korea this year as planned. They also credited the two countries' simplified entry procedure for businesspeople to guarantee essential economic activities as a success story of quarantine cooperation.

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The leaders of South Korea and China spoke on the phone on Wednesday for 34 minutes in their second phone call since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They agreed to push for President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea as soon as the pandemic situation stabilizes and conditions are right. The two heads of state have agreed to adjust the time of President Xi's visit, which is unlikely to take place in the first half of the year. Cheong Wa Dae said the Chinese leader expressed a strong determination to visit Korea this year, and President Moon replied by saying that President Xi's visit to Korea is more important than ever in terms of bilateral relations. The two leaders seem to agree that Xi Jinping's visit to Korea is absolutely necessary to resolve bilateral tensions stemming from the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula. They also agreed that quarantine cooperation between the two nations has been effective so far. They especially credited the fast track entry procedure for businesspeople from both countries as a success story of quarantine cooperation. Implemented on May 1, the simplified entry procedure for businesspeople exempts them from mandatory self-quarantine in China if they test negative for COVID-19 at the time of departure from Korea. Cheong Wa Dae says some two hundred South Korean businesspeople can currently work in China thanks to the fast track entry procedure. President Moon Jae-in expressed hope that more people will be eligible for fast-track entry in more regions. Citing a proverb, "A good neighbor is not to be traded for gold," the Chinese president called for bolstering bilateral cooperation based on the improving ties between Korea and China over the past three years. Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae has denied speculation that the two heads of state discussed the issue of the missile defense system during their phone call.