Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, met in Beijing Wednesday with Park Kwan-yong, speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Wu paid a visit to the ROK recently. He said during Wednesday's meeting that his tour was "successful" though "not long", and he reached consensus with ROK President Roh Moo-hyun and Park Kwan-yong on a wide range of issues during the visit.

Wu said that he was impressed by the fruitful cooperation between China and the ROK in all fields, and the consensus of all circles in the ROK for the friendly foreign policy to China, he said.

"The cooperation of the two countries benefits both, and is promising," he said.

Wu said that Chinese President Hu Jintao and ROK President Roh Moo-hyun have upgraded Sino-ROK relations to a cooperative partnership, which conforms to the interests of the two sides.

Wu said that through his ROK tour and Park Kwan-yong's current visit to China, the relations between the NPC and the ROK National Assembly will reach a new height.

Park Kwan-yong spoke highly of Wu's visit to the ROK, and said the visit furthered the friendship and trust between the ROK and China. The ROK will contribute to develop cooperation with China, he said.

The two sides also exchanged views on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula, and agreed that the issue should be settled through peaceful dialogue.
 
(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2003)