S.Korea, China hold 4th strategic dialogue

South Korea and China have held their fourth annual high-level strategic dialogue. The two sides met in Seoul on Tuesday and discussed Korean Peninsula affairs following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and other bilateral concerns, according to Korean (KBS WORLD) website. Korean First Vice Minister Park Suk-hwan gave a keynote speech at the opening of the strategic dialogue at the Foreign Ministry. He said the talks with China come at a significant time on the heels of Kim Jong-il''s death and amid rising global interest surrounding the event. Park said that Seoul and Beijing agree that maintaining peace on the peninsula is important. He also called for close and swift communication between the two countries to achieve this shared goal. China''s chief delegate to the talks, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun, meanwhile, said that South Korea-China relations now stand at a new historic starting point. He stressed timely communication between the two sides to better respond to the complex and ever-changing regional dynamics.