Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji met with Lee Han-dong, prime minister of the Republic of Korea (ROK), at the Boao Forum for Asia Friday.
Zhu said that Sino-ROK relations had made great progress in the past 10 years since the two countries established diplomatic ties and the cooperative partnership between the two countries had stepped up to a new stage of full cooperation.
China regarded the ROK as an important neighbor and wanted to further promote bilateral ties in the new century, he added.
Lee said that ROK President Kim Dae-jung attached great importance to the Boao Forum for Asia and hoped that the forum would produce good ideas for the development of Asia.
He said that the ROK and China had made effective cooperation in many fields, especially trade, and he expected cooperation in the information industry, telecommunications and environmental
protection would be further improved.
The ROK government and enterprises were very much interested in the development of western China and wanted to take an active part in the drive, Lee said.