[Editorial] Speech in Chinese

In a meeting with Cheong Wa Dae correspondents last week, President Park Geun-hye gave a strong indication that she would deliver an address in Chinese during her planned state visit to China late this month. Park said she intends to give a Chinese speech, “if many people want” her to do so.

It appears that many South Koreans back the idea. We are of the same view that it will help win Chinese hearts if Park delivers a speech in their language.

During her U.S. visit in early May, she addressed a joint session of Congress in English, drawing numerous rounds of applause. She was known to have insisted on speaking in English to convey her wish to consolidate the decades-long alliance between South Korea and the U.S. in a more direct and efficient manner. It may be that the South Korean leader is as eager to show the Chinese people her sincerity toward strengthening mutual friendship and cooperation in a similar way.

It is certain to have a far-reaching effect if she speaks in Chinese about the forward-looking relationship between the two countries, probably before students in a Beijing university.

In a debate during last year’s presidential campaign, Park revealed she had taught herself Chinese for five years. When she met a Chinese envoy in January after winning the election, she gave New Year’s greetings in Chinese. Park has also said it was a book on the history of Chinese philosophy that helped calm her mind during difficult times in the past.

Her knowledge and understanding of the Chinese language and history have naturally drawn a favorable response from Chinese officials and media hoping to see ties with Seoul further broadened and deepened during her term. Park herself has expressed confidence and expectation that she will communicate well with Chinese leaders. In the recent meeting with reporters, she emphasized Beijing’s role in resolving the North Korean nuclear standoff, saying she wanted to have “candid talks” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom “I have known for a long time.”

Her speech in Chinese per se may not hold the key to the success of her Beijing trip, but is certain to contribute to forging an amicable environment needed to ensure it. Her Chinese address may not be as fluent as the one by former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a China expert, who became the first and only foreign head of government to give a public speech in Mandarin during his 2008 visit to Beijing. But it could make a deeper impression, hopefully leading Xi to reciprocate with remarks in Korean ― though briefer ― during his future trip to Seoul.