Li Peng Praises Sino-ROK Friendship 　　Li Peng, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said in Beijing January 25 that China is paying a great deal of attention to the situation on the Korean Peninsula and hopes that peace and stability can be maintained there. 　　In a meeting with Lee Soo-Sung, the former prime minister of the Republic of Korea (ROK), Li praised the Sino-ROK cooperation, saying that President Kim Dae Jung's visit to China last year played an important role in promoting Sino-ROK ties. 　　Li said that the ROK has had great achievements in dealing with the Asian financial crisis, while China itself has made an effort and many sacrifices to ease the crisis by maintaining the stability of the yuan. 　　China also maintained economic growth by increasing spending on infrastructure and domestic demand, he said, and will keep smooth economic development this year. He also spoke about China's legal system developments. 　　Lee expressed his appreciation for China's contribution to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and pointed to President Kim's China visit last year, where Kim and President Jiang Zemin agreed to establish the China-ROK cooperative partnership for the 21st century, which is conducive to the further development of bilateral ties. 　　The ROK guests are here in Beijing at the invitation of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee. HomeNews 1999-01-26 Page1 Full Story in Chinese