Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung in Beijing on Monday.

Xi said he and President Lee have met twice and conducted reciprocal visits, reflecting the importance both sides attach to China-ROK relations. As both friends and neighbors, China and the ROK should increase exchanges and maintain frequent communication.

China has consistently placed relations with the ROK high on its regional diplomatic agenda and maintained continuity and stability in its policy toward the ROK, Xi said, adding that China is willing to work with the ROK to firmly uphold the direction of friendly cooperation, adhere to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, promote bilateral strategic partnership along a healthy path, effectively enhance the well-being of both peoples, and contribute positively to regional and global peace and development.

Xi said the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China reviewed and adopted the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, outlining a blueprint for China's development over the next five years and offering broad opportunities for countries worldwide.

China and the ROK share close economic ties with industrial and supply chains deeply interwoven, and the bilateral cooperation is mutually beneficial, Xi said.

He said the two countries should further align their development strategies, strengthen policy coordination, expand the pie of common interests, and achieve more cooperation results in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, green industries, and the silver economy.

Both sides should further promote people-to-people exchanges and carry out exchanges in areas such as youth, media, sports, think tanks and at the sub-national levels, so as to make positive narratives the mainstream of public opinion, said the Chinese president.

As the world is undergoing rapid changes unseen in a century and the international landscape becomes more fraught and unstable, China and the ROK shoulder the important responsibility of maintaining regional peace and promoting global development, and share a wide range of common interests. Both sides should firmly stand on the right side of history and make the right strategic choices, he said.

Noting that the two peoples made tremendous national sacrifices and won the victory against Japanese militarism over 80 years ago, Xi said that both sides should join hands today to safeguard the fruits of the victory in World War II and safeguard peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

As the beneficiaries of economic globalization, China and the ROK should jointly oppose protectionism, practice true multilateralism, and contribute to promoting an equal and orderly multi-polar world, and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization that benefits all, Xi said.

For his part, Lee said the ROK and China are close neighbors with long-standing relations, noting that the two countries stood together against Japanese militarist aggression, and that the ROK side appreciates China's protection of former sites of the Korean Independence Movement in China.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have fostered close ties of cooperation with fruitful results, Lee said, adding that the ROK side attaches great importance to its relations with China.

Taking the first event of heads-of-state diplomacy in the new year as an opportunity, the ROK side is ready to cement the momentum of a full recovery of bilateral ties, seek common ground while putting aside differences, deepen the ROK-China strategic cooperative partnership, and work with China to open up new prospects of the bilateral relationship, he said.

The ROK side respects China's core interests and major concerns and stays committed to the one-China stance, Lee said.

Economic and trade cooperation between the ROK and China has contributed to the economic and social development of each side, Lee said, noting that the ROK looks forward to seizing the opportunities brought by China's 15th Five-Year Plan and working for more outcomes of bilateral practical cooperation.

The two countries should promote exchanges between the two peoples, and enhance understanding and mutual trust, he said.

The ROK stands ready to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to contribute to the prosperity and development of the world, Lee said, expressing his wish that the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be hosted by China this year a full success.