South Korea hopes for more closer cooperation with China

South Korea said Thursday it expects to forge closer cooperation in various areas, including North Korea, with China’s new President Xi Jinping, congratulating Xi on formally becoming Beijing’s new leader.“The Korean government congratulates China’s Community Party General Secretary Xi Jinping on being named as China’s new president,” Seoul’s foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said.Earlier today South Korean President Park Geun-hye sent a congratulatory message to China’s new President Xi Jinping on Thursday, saying she hopes the two countries will further deepen their relations and bolster cooperation for peace on the Korean Peninsula, her office said.In the message, Park expressed hope the two sides will strengthen cooperation to make their “strategic partnership” more substantial and to promote peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia and in the world, the presidential office said in a statement relayed by Yonhap news agency.