Xi meets ROK president, calls for advancing bilateral ties

BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping met with President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Moon Jae-in Monday in Beijing, calling for joint efforts to lift bilateral ties to a higher level.

As the world is undergoing profound changes rarely seen in a century, China and the ROK should deepen and develop their strategic cooperative partnership, and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, Xi said.

Hailing bilateral ties as "maintaining the major direction of stability and development" over the past two years, the Chinese president said the two countries have always been friends and partners that cooperate closely.

As important and influential countries in Asia, as well as the world, China and the ROK share broad consensus in advancing bilateral ties, promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity, and safeguarding multilateralism and the free trade regime, he said.

"The two countries should further tap the potential and lift the level and standard of pragmatic cooperation to realize high-quality and integrated development," Xi stressed.

He called for advancing the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategy of the ROK, speeding up the second-phase negotiation of the bilateral free trade agreement, and deepening cooperation on innovation, research and development, to better complement each other's strengths and share cooperation outcomes.

In terms of people-to-people exchanges, Xi called on the two sides to make good use of the platform of China-ROK Joint Committee on People-to-People Exchanges, carry out exchanges in such fields as education, sports, media, youth, and at the local level, and further strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

China and the ROK should strengthen law-enforcement and security cooperation and jointly combat cross-border crimes, to maintain peace and stability of the two countries, Xi said.

Protectionism, unilateralism and bullying moves are disturbing global governance and threatening world peace and stability. "China, as a responsible major country, always aligns its own development with global trends, and is willing to work with all countries to build a community with a shared future for humanity through upholding equality and mutual benefit, sharing opportunities and shouldering responsibilities," the Chinese president said.

"I hope China and the ROK will continue to strengthen coordination within multilateral frameworks including the United Nations, the Group of 20, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and safeguard international fairness and justice as well as the two countries' legitimate interests," Xi said.

Moon congratulated Xi on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.