SEOUL, Aug. 27, 2004 (Xinhuanet) -- South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun (R) meets with visiting Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Seoul Aug. 27, 2004. Jia arrived here Thursday for an official goodwill visit to the Republic of Korea(ROK).

   SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Roh Moo-hyun met with Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), here Friday on bilateral ties and the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

   Jia conveyed a message from Chinese President Hu Jintao to Roh during the meeting.

   In the message, Hu said that the Chinese government maintains a policy of friendship with the ROK, and is willing to be a good neighbor and partner of the ROK with mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual trust.

   Hu also expressed the hope that China and the ROK will make joint efforts to contribute not only to the prosperity of the two countries, but also to regional and global peace and development at large.

   During the meeting, Jia said his visit to the ROK coincided with the 12th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

   Sino-ROK relations have registered steady progress and yielded rich fruits in the past 12 years, Jia said, adding that the two countries have made a fresh headway in exchanges and cooperation in various fields since they decided to forge a full cooperation partnership in July last year.

   Jia also told Roh that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the Sino-ROK ties, willing to make joint efforts with ROK to further develop bilateral relations.

   "We will continue to adhere to our policy of friendship toward neighboring countries to incessantly enrich the content of the full partnership relations," he said.

   China is willing, together with the ROK, to continue to consolidate the political foundation of the ties between the two countries with mutual respect, mutual understanding and mutual trust, he said.

   China also wants to strengthen economic exchanges and cooperation with the ROK, striving to achieve a win-win in mutual benefit and development, he added.

   On the nuclear issue, Jia said that China has dedicated itself to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and will continue to do so in the future.

   China and the ROK have closely cooperated in the process of the six-party talks aimed to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, he said. China is willing to cooperate with the ROK and other related nations to push the multilateral nuclear talks toward fruition.

   After extending a warm welcome to Jia, Roh Moo-hyun said it is of special significance that he and Chinese President Hu Jintao jointly established the full partnership between the two countries during his visit to China last year.

   Roh said the ROK and China have conscientiously fulfilled the consensus and  agreements the two countries reached in the past year. The ROK government attaches great significance to the ROK-China ties, evaluating highly China's important role in dealing with international issues, including the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

   Roh stressed that his country will continue to stick to the One China policy, doing its utmost to push the bilateral ties toward further development.

   The two leaders also agreed to have mutual respect and frank attitude in dealing with issues of mutual concern from a long-term and strategic perspective, striving for a steadily-growing, healthy, and stable Sino-ROK relationship.

   On Friday, Roh also hosted a luncheon for Jia.

   Jia arrived in Seoul on Thursday afternoon for a four-day official visit. The ROK is the first leg of Jia's four-nation tour, which will also take him to Austria, Spain and Portugal.  Enditem