China is ready to strengthen cooperation with Romania under the frameworks of the 16+1 mechanism and China-European Union (EU) relations, which is conducive to the EU's stability and balanced development, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Friday.

Li made the remarks during his meeting with Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on the sidelines of the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit themed "20 Years of ASEM: Partnership for the Future through Connectivity."

He also told Ciolos that China attaches great importance to developing the traditional friendship with Romania.

For his part, Ciolos said his country also values its traditional friendship with China and will remain committed to strengthening its cooperation with Beijing while striving for a bigger role in the 16+1 mechanism and the development of EU-China relations.

The 16+1 mechanism refers to a cooperative platform between China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Li arrived here Wednesday for his first official visit to Mongolia since taking office in 2013 and the 11th ASEM Summit.