SEOUL (XFN-ASIA) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has arrived in South Korea, officials said, with a visit expected to focus on trade as well as ways to resolve the impasse over North Korea's nuclear programme.
Wen, who goes on to Japan Wednesday, will attend the opening ceremony for Korea-China Friendship Year marking the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
China has since become South Korea's largest trading partner, with total trade value reaching 130 bln usd last year according to Chinese figures. Wen said last week he expects ties to deepen further.
'China and South Korea should come up with a win-win FTA (free trade agreement) proposal at an early date so as to pave the way for the FTA,' he said.
'As a result of economic globalization, China-South Korea trade ties have entered a new era, requiring us to expand cooperation, improve quality and cope with challenges together,' Wen said last Thursday, three days after the US and South Korea concluded an FTA.
The two sides will also push for progress in six-nation talks on scrapping North Korea's nuclear weapons, which are stalled by a banking dispute.
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