Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, meets with South Korea President Moon Jae-in in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Nov 17, 2018. (HUANG JINGWEN / XINHU)

PORT MORESBY – Chinese President Xi Jinping met with presidents of South Korea, Indonesia and Chile on the sidelines of the 26th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in the Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, Saturday.

Xi called for deepening the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and strengthening communication on the Korean Peninsula issue when he met with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.

The consensuses reached between the two heads of state have been implemented effectively over the past year, and the bilateral ties have steadily improved and developed, Xi told Moon.

He urged the two countries to make positive contributions to lasting peace and prosperity in the region.

He called for greater efforts from both sides to jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative, accelerate the second-phase negotiations of the bilateral free trade agreement, and optimize and upgrade their mutually beneficial cooperation.

Xi also proposed that the two sides strengthen coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as APEC, G20 and the China-Japan-South Korea trilateral meetings.

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For his part, Moon said the bilateral relations are now showing a trend of quick recovery, with exchanges and cooperation in various areas picking up markedly. 

On the Korean Peninsula issue, Xi said that the situation on the peninsula has shown positive changes over the past year, and the peninsular issue has on the whole gone back to the right track of dialogue and consultation. Facts have proven that our endeavors are effective, he added.

With the leadership of President Moon, South Korea has been committed to promoting the easing of tension on the peninsula, and carrying out reconciliation and interaction activities between the two Koreas, Xi said.

Currently, the Korean Peninsula situation is at a crucial stage, he said, noting that China and South Korea should enhance communication, and coordinate with each other to advance the process of denuclearization and push for the establishment of a peace mechanism on the peninsula.

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Pointing out that South Korea and China share common interest in safeguarding peace and stability in Northeast Asia, Moon said the South Korean side appreciates very much the vital role of China in promoting the easing of Korean Peninsula situation and the settlement of the peninsular issue, he said.

President Xi Jinping, right, meets with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Nov 17, 2018. (PANG XINGLEI / XINHUA)

XI MEETS WIDODO

Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo reached a series of important consensus on deepening ties when they met Saturday on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

Noting that the two countries have signed a memorandum of understanding last month on the Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia's Vision of Global Maritime Fulcrum, Xi called on the two sides to actively push forward relevant cooperation.

China attaches importance to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor initiative proposed by President Widodo, and is willing to launch substantive cooperation with the Indonesian side in this regard at an early date, said the Chinese leader.

China is ready to receive more imports from Indonesia, and advance bilateral cooperation on finance, e-commerce and cultural exchange, he said.

Xi said China will enhance communication and coordination with Indonesia within the framework of APEC, so as to achieve positive progress at the APEC meeting this year, continue to push for the economic integration in the Asia-Pacific, and inject new impetus into the economic development of the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

Widodo, for his part, congratulated China on the success of the just-concluded China International Import Expo, and thanked the Chinese side for its help in the relief work after the earthquake and tsunami recently hit Indonesia.

Indonesia supports the development of ASEAN-China relations, and is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China in international and regional affairs, he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, meets with his Chilean counterpart Sebastian Pinera in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Nov 17, 2018. (BAI XUEFEI / XINHUA)

XI MEETS CHILE’S SEBASTIAN PINERA

President Xi expressed his hope that China-Chile bilateral cooperation could enter a new stage under current circumstances when he met with his Chilean counterpart Sebastian Pinera.

Extending congratulations to Pinera on his second term as Chilean president, Xi said China-Chile comprehensive strategic partnership would open up a new chapter, achieve new development and make more contributions to overall China-Latin America cooperation.

The Chinese leader stressed the role of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, adding that the two sides should take the opportunity of upgrading of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to expand the scale of trade, optimize trade structure, deepen investment cooperation, and press ahead major interconnectivity projects.

He proposed holding a series of celebrations as the year of 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of establishment of China-Chile diplomatic relationship.

Pinera highlighted the solid foundation and robust development of Chile-China relations, saying that China is Chile's biggest trade partner and major investment source country, and that the FTA upgrading provided a broader prospect for further cooperation.

Chile will work with China to enhance high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation in areas like trade, investment, infrastructure, technology, and join hands to promote the Belt and Road construction, uphold free trade and build an open world economy, he said.