China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) need to elevate their strategic cooperation and partnership to a higher level to bring greater benefits to the two peoples and bring more certainty to the turbulent situation in the region and the world as a whole, Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a telephone conversation with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday.
The Chinese leader once again congratulated his interlocutor on his election as President of the Republic of Korea, noting that China and the Republic of Korea are close neighbors.
According to him, in the 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have overcome differences in ideology and social systems and actively promoted exchanges and cooperation in various fields, contributing to each other's success and common development.
Strong, stable and ever-deepening relations between China and the ROK are in line with the trend of the times, meet the fundamental interests of the peoples of the two countries, and contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the entire world, Xi Jinping stressed.
China and the ROK should remain committed to the original goal of establishing diplomatic relations, maintain good-neighborliness and friendship, and strive for mutual benefit and win-win results, he said.
The two sides should step up exchanges at various levels and in various fields, enhance strategic mutual trust, strengthen interstate cooperation and multilateral coordination to jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, and ensure the stability and smooth operation of global and regional industrial and supply chains, Xi said.
China and the ROK should deepen people-to-people exchanges, enhance mutual understanding and strengthen public support to plant the seeds of friendship deep in the hearts of the two peoples, he said.
Beijing and Seoul need to respect each other's core interests and major concerns and keep bilateral ties on the right track to ensure the healthy and stable development of China-ROK relations, Xi added.
Li Zhe Meng, for his part, said he agreed with Xi Jinping's remarks, stressing the close geographical proximity, long-standing exchanges and close economic, trade and cultural ties between the ROK and China.
Expressing admiration for China's impressive development achievements under the outstanding leadership of the Chinese leader, Li Zhemeng said that he attaches great importance to the ROK-China relations and is willing to work with the Chinese side to deepen their good-neighborly and friendly relations, strengthen mutual goodwill between the two peoples and achieve greater progress in bilateral cooperation.