国内英语新闻: China's top legislator calls for enhancing exchanges with ROK

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, holds talks with the Republic of Korea National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug via video link at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu held talks on Monday with the Republic of Korea (ROK) National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug via video link, noting that the two countries should respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and enhance exchanges at all levels.

Li, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said China and the ROK are friendly neighbors and important cooperative partners, and bilateral relations have maintained a good momentum of development under the guidance of the leaders of the two countries.

With enhanced mutual trust, deepened mutually-beneficial cooperation and active friendly exchanges, bilateral relations are full of vitality, Li said.

He called on the two sides to respect each other's core interests and major concerns, strengthen communication at all levels, expand friendly consensus, and ensure that bilateral relations develop stably in the right direction.

Li stressed that China and the ROK have joined hands this year in fighting COVID-19, setting an example for international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, and adding new connotations to the friendship between the two countries. He said that the two countries should actively promote cooperation in vaccine and drug development and use, and work together to control the pandemic.

He called for efforts to step up the synergy of the two countries' development strategies, promote cooperation on third-party markets to produce results at an early date, and complete the second phase of the free trade agreement negotiations as soon as possible.

He said the two sides should further enhance exchanges in the fields of education, sports, youth and academics, taking the advantage of the Year of Cultural Exchange between China and the ROK.

Li called on both sides to jointly maintain peace and promote the development on the Korean Peninsula, strengthen communication and coordination within multilateral frameworks, safeguard international fairness and justice, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Noting that exchanges between legislative bodies are an important part of bilateral ties, Li pointed out that China's NPC and the ROK National Assembly have maintained sound cooperation at all levels and in various fields, especially since the establishment of a regular exchange mechanism in 2006.

Li said the two sides should continue to give play to the role of the exchange mechanism, maintain communication and learn from each other respective experience of governance, economic development and improvement of people's livelihoods.

For his part, Park Byeong-seug said the anti-pandemic cooperation between the two countries has further deepened the profound friendship between the two peoples. The ROK National Assembly stands ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the NPC of China, and make positive contributions to promoting the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership and regional peace and stability, Park said. Enditem