The new Chinese Ambassador here hosted a reception in Seoul on April 17 to officially introduce himself to some 300 guests, including envoys from the foreign diplomatic community, top government officials and the Chinese expatriate community.

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong also took time to express condolences to the families of the more than 300 killed or missing in the tragic sinking of the Sewol passenger ship that occurred on April 16.

Qiu lauded how far South Korean-Chinese bilateral relations have come in the 22 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and vowed to further promote South Korean-Chinese ties and deepen their “strategic cooperative partnership.”

China and South Korea established official diplomatic ties on Aug. 24, 1992. From the 1950s to the 1980s, South Korea diplomatically recognized only Taiwan. China, for its part, recognized only North Korea. After the end of the Cold War, however, the situation changed. For more than two decades, China and South Korea have carefully cultivated strategic political relations and robust commercial ties.

A coterie of VIPs were on hand from the worlds of politics, culture and business, including National Assembly Vice Speaker Lee Byung-suk; Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo; and President Park Geun-hye’s Chief Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Security Ju Chul-ki.

Qiu presented his Letter of Credence to President Park in an official ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae on Feb. 28.

(ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)