S Korean president meets Chinese state councilor

South Korean President Park Geun-hye met with Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi on Monday to discuss bilateral ties and other issues of common interest.

Yang, who is in charge of foreign affairs, arrived in Seoul on Sunday on a three-day visit.

Yang said his visit came after Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun-hye agreed to deepen bilateral strategic cooperative ties during her visit to China in June.

As China-South Korea relations have entered into a new era, the two sides will make joint efforts to strengthen high-level and cultural exchanges next year, said Yang.

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has made overall arrangements for the comprehensive and deepening reforms. The further opening-up and reform will bring broader prospects for cooperation between the two countries, Yang said.

Referring to the Korean peninsula situation, Yang said China sticks to the objectives of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, maintaining regional peace and stability, and solving relevant problems through dialogue.

Yang conveyed China's positive evaluation of President Park's "trust building" policy towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying the Chinese government has always supported the improvement in relations between the DPRK and South Korea and their independent and peaceful reunification in the future.

China is willing to work together with South Korea and other sides to ease the tensions on the peninsula and seek for an early resumption of the six-party talks, he added.

Park expressed congratulations on the success of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, adding that China's comprehensive and deepening reforms will help achieve the Chinese dream.

She said South Korea is willing to work with China to promote bilateral ties and gain more achievement.

Park also applauded the positive role China has played in solving problems of Korean peninsula and expressed willingness to maintain intensive contact and cooperation with China to promote early and proper settlement of the peninsula issue.

Yang later held talks with Kim Jang-soo, chief national security advisor, on bilateral ties and situation on Korean peninsula as well as international affairs.

The two sides agreed to maintain close coordination and cooperation in promoting regional peace and development and tackling major international issues.

Yang also had a luncheon meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.

Yang said China wants to accelerate free trade agreement negotiations between the two countries to work out a high-quality deal. China and South Korea launched free trade talks last year and have held eight rounds of talks.

Yun said South Korea agrees to accelerate free trade talks and is willing to strengthen political, economic and cultural exchange between the two countries to further develop bilateral ties.