Chronologies
China - Korea
Chronology from Jan 2012 to May 2012
: Nine Chinese fishermen suspected of illegal fishing are detained after clashes in the Yellow Sea leave four ROK Coast Guard officers injured. Two of the Chinese are arrested on May 2.
: China’s Jilin province launches tourist train services to North Korea between Tumen city and Chilbo Mountain.
: PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterates China’s commitment to Korean denuclearization and calls for restraint amid speculation over a third North Korean nuclear test.
: PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson calls for restraint on the Korean Peninsula in response to the Korean People’s Army’s threat to launch “special operations” against the ROK government and conservative media.
: Kim Yong Il, alternate member of the Political Bureau, secretary of the WPK Central Committee, and WPK International Department head, leads a party delegation to Beijing. He holds a “strategic dialogue” with CCP counterparts led by International Department head Wang Jiarui, meets State Councilor Dai Bingguo, and President Hu Jintao, and CCP Organizational Department head Li Yuanchao.
: Incheon District Court issues a 30-year prison term and fine to a Chinese fishing boat skipper for killing a ROK coast guard in December 2011. PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejects South Korea’s “unilateral application” of the EEZ law.
: PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson calls for dialogue on North Korea after the UNSC issues a President’s Statement condemning North Korea’s launch.
: First trilateral meeting between agriculture ministers of China, South Korea, and Japan is held on Jeju Island.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi holds separate talks by phone with US, ROK, and Japanese counterparts on Korean Peninsula tensions.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the China-Russia-India foreign ministers meeting in Moscow calls for calm and restraint after North Korea’s failed launch.
: President Hu Jintao sends a congratulatory message to Kim Jong Un on Kim’s appointment as First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
: Sixth China-ROK-Japan Foreign Ministers Meeting is held in Ningbo, China.
: A delegation of the PLA Foreign Affairs Department led by Maj. Gen. Qian Lihua, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defense, meets DPRK National Defense Commission Vice Chairman and Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Vice Marshall Kim Yong Chun in Pyongyang.
: Opening ceremony of the China-ROK Year of Friendship is held at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, attended by PRC and ROK Vice Culture Ministers Kwak Young-jin and Wang Wenzhang.
: Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui in an interview with Xinhua affirms China’s commitment to Korean Peninsula peace and stability.
: China and South Korea launch a three-year joint project on mitigating desertification in Dunhuang, Gansu province.
: Presidents Hu Jintao and Lee Myung-bak meet on the sidelines of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.
: PRC State Councilor Dai Bingguo and US National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon discuss the Korean Peninsula situation by phone.
: Director General of Asian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry Luo Zhaohui affirms that “China has expressed its stance and concern to all sides” regarding North Korea’s launch.
: PRC Special Representative for Korean Affairs Wu Dawei meets DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho. The PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirms that senior diplomats have exchanged views with DPRK, Russian, US, ROK, and Japanese ambassadors.
: North Korea announces that it will launch in April an “earth observation” satellite using a long-range rocket to mark the 100th birthday of the late Kim Il Sung.
: PRC Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun meets DPRK Ambassador to China Ji Jae Ryong to express concern over North Korea’s planned satellite launch.
: The PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson asserts China’s “consistent” position toward DPRK aid and expresses support for the US-DPRK food aid agreement.
: The Zhenjiang local government confirms that a ROK ship is being sued over a chemical spill in the Yangtze River.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress calls for a “balanced” approach to the Korean nuclear issue.
: PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson expresses support for US-DPRK contact and food aid talks.
: PRC Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations Cheng Jingye calls for the early resumption of Six-Party Talks at an IAEA board meeting in Vienna.
: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing expresses support for progress in US-DPRK nuclear talks.
: Director of the China Earthquake Administration Chen Jianmin confirms that seismologists from China, ROK, and Japan are conducting a joint research program aimed to strengthen cooperation on combatting earthquakes, volcanos, and tsunamis.
: PRC Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits Seoul for annual inter-ministerial consultations and meets President Lee Myung-bak and ROK counterpart Kim Sung-hwan.
: The PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson expresses hopes for South Korea’s handling of the “illegal border crossing” into China by DPRK nationals.
: The PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirms Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying’s visit to North Korea the previous week.
: PRC Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun meets First Deputy Foreign Minister of the DPRK Kim Kye Gwan in Beijing.
: PRC Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei meets US counterpart Glyn Davies in Beijing, at the conclusion of US-DPRK talks in Beijing on Feb. 23.
: Heilongjiang authorities announce that North Korea’s Air Koryo will launch a charter flight route between Pyongyang and Harbin on April 27.
: President Lee Myung-bak in a nationally-televised address calls for China’s treatment of DPRK refugees “according to international norms.” The PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterates China’s position that DPRK nationals who have illegally entered China for economic reasons are not refugees.
: ROK Foreign Ministry announces plans to seek support from the UN Human Rights Council for efforts to rescue DPRK refugees under Chinese detention.
: PRC Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying visits Pyongyang and meets DPRK counterpart Kim Sung Gi.
: Wuhan Maritime Court orders the detention of a ROK cargo ship over a chemical spill that partially contaminated the drinking water source of Zhenjiang.
: ROK Embassy in Beijing reports that 1,073 medical treatment visas were issued to Chinese nationals in 2011, a 386 percent increase from 2010.
: China Securities Regulatory Commission grants South Korean sovereign wealth fund Korea Investment Corp. (KIC) investor status.
: President Lee visits China and meets President Hu, Premier Wen Jiabao, and top legislator Wu Bangguo.
: North Korea opens its Kwangbok Area Supermarket in west Pyongyang, a joint venture between the DPRK’s Taesong General Trading Corporation and China’s Feihaimengxin Trading Company.