Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-15 22:22:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Moon Jae-in in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) agreed to cooperate more in various fields to promote the well-being of the two peoples and regional stability.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang made the remarks while meeting with ROK President Moon Jae-in in Beijing.

Li said it is the standard for the two countries to have friendly cooperation since they established diplomatic ties 25 years ago.

China is willing to work with the ROK to enhance trust and properly handle sensitive issues to advance bilateral relations along the right track, he said.

China and the ROK have various cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, Li said, calling for the two sides to make use of opportunities to consolidate the development momentum of bilateral ties.

He said the two sides should promote the alignment of their development strategies and start the second phase of the negotiations of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) at an appropriate time.

Li called for increased cooperation in finance, artificial intelligence, 5G, big data, business environment and people-to-people exchanges.

Moon said the ROK is ready to work with China to improve and develop bilateral ties and strengthen cooperation in the innovation industry, financial investment, agriculture, environment protection and tourism.

He also expressed his hope that both sides will start the second phase of the negotiations of FTA at an early date.

Moon called for more people-to-people exchanges to contribute to the common development of the two countries and regional peace and prosperity.

China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang also met with Moon on Friday afternoon, and both sides agreed to boost parliamentary exchanges.

Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, said China-ROK friendly cooperation is in accordance with the interests of two peoples, as well as regional peace and stability.

Zhang reaffirmed China's position on the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the ROK and hoped the ROK will properly deal with the issue.

Zhang called on the legislative bodies of China and the ROK to maintain communication to help enhance understanding and consolidate political trust.

Moon said the ROK values its ties with China and called for more communication between the legislative bodies of the two countries.