DA NANG, Vietnam, Nov. 11-- Chinese President Xi Jinping met here Saturday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on bilateral ties and the Korean Peninsula situation. During the meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, Xi told Moon that China and South Korea are close neighbors that can not move away and are natural cooperation partners. The two countries share broad common interests in promoting their economic and social progress, and in realizing regional peace, stability and prosperity, said Xi. He added that friendly exchanges and win-win cooperation have always been the main theme of China-South Korea diplomatic relations since they were forged 25 years ago, while China places importance on its relations with South Korea. China stands ready to join hands with South Korea to push for the healthy and steady development of bilateral ties, Xi said, as good bilateral ties are in accordance with the trend of history and time, as well as the common expectation of the two peoples. Noting that the China-South Korea relations are at a crucial stage, Xi said both sides need to respect each other's core interests and major concern, maintain political mutual trust, and enhance communication and coordination. Xi reiterated China's stance on the issue of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). He stressed that on such high-stake issues, the two sides should take an attitude that is responsible to history, to bilateral ties and to both peoples, and make decisions that can stand the test of history, so as to steadily move forward bilateral relations in the right direction. |