Zhang Dejiang (L), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, meets with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Seoul, South Korea, June 11, 2015. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

 

Zhang Dejiang (3rd L), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, meets with South Korean President Park Geun-hye (3rd R) in Seoul, South Korea, June 11, 2015. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

 

Visiting Chinese top legislator Zhang Dejiang met in Seoul Thursday with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, with both sides pledging to further expand their all-round practical cooperation.

China-South Korea relations are currently at an all-time high as the leaders of the two countries have made a successful exchange of visits and reached important consensus, Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said during the meeting.

The two countries have enhanced political trust, increased trade and economic cooperation and deepened people-to-people exchanges, he said, adding that the two-way trade reached nearly 300 billion US dollars in 2014 and the number of personnel exchanges between the two countries exceeded 10 million.

The China-South Korea free trade agreement (FTA) officially signed on June 1 will also bring broader prospects for bilateral cooperation, Zhang said.

He said China is ready to make joint efforts with South Korea to step up friendly exchanges at all levels, coordinate macroeconomic polices and development strategies, and push forward all-round practical cooperation.

Beijing is also willing to work with Seoul to realize common development, maintain regional peace, reinvigorate Asia and strive for a more prosperous world, and lift the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership to a new height, Zhang said.

For her part, Park said that the signing of the FTA, which laid the ground for future development, is a catalyst for deepening bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

The South Korean side will continue to expand cooperation with China in all areas, boost the strategic cooperative partnership to higher levels and promote the peace and stability in Northeast Asia, she said.

The two sides also exchanged views on issues of common concern.

Zhang is currently on an official friendly visit to South Korea from Thursday to Saturday at the invitation of the country's Speaker of the National Assembly Chung Ui-hwa.