Visiting President Hu Jintao of China put forward a four-point proposal on Monday to strengthen ties between his country and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the political, economic and international arenas.

Hu made the proposal during official talks with ROK President Lee Myung-bak. The Chinese leader is paying a two-day state visit to the neighboring country at the invitation of President Lee.

Suggesting that the two nations enhance mutual political trust, Hu said both sides could "maintain frequent high-level contact, promote communication and exchanges between political parties and legislatures, while strengthening communication between the respective foreign ministries and defense authorities."

Hu urged both sides to complete adjustments to the joint research report on medium- and long-term development planning in economic and trade cooperation, so that it can act as a guide for long-term economic ties between the two nations, trade between whom is already booming.

China and the ROK conducted bilateral trade worth nearly 160 billion U.S. dollars in 2007, according to official Chinese statistics.

The two countries could strengthen cooperation in such key areas as telecommunications, energy, finance, logistics and environmental protection, President Hu said.

He also proposed an expansion of people-to-people exchanges.

More than 6 million people shuttle between the two countries every year.

China will host World Expo 2010 in Shanghai while the ROK will host the event's 2012 edition in Yosu.

To further people-to-people exchanges, the two countries have designated 2010 as Visit China Year and 2012 as Visit Korea Year.

Hu also proposed that China and the ROK enhance coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs.

A concerted effort could be made to push forward six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and advance other regional and sub-regional cooperation, said Hu.

The two nations could also increase communication on major global issues such as combating terrorism and climate change, the Chinese president suggested.

Hu also thanked the ROK government and its people for their support shown to the just-concluded Beijing Olympic Games and congratulated the ROK athletes for their good performance at the event.

President Lee had high praise for the successful hosting of the Beijing Olympiad, in which Chinese athletes bagged 51 gold medals to top the medal tally.

Lee said the ROK hopes to enhance dialogue with China in diplomacy, security, politics and defense, and push forward cooperation in trade, finance, investment, energy-conservation, telecom and tourism, while furthering communication in people-to-people exchanges, including media exchanges.

The ROK would firmly adhere to the one-China policy on Taiwan and Tibet-related issues, Lee emphasized.

President Hu expressed appreciation of his stand.

After the talks, representatives of the two countries inked cooperative deals on energy-conservation, high-tech, and education, which were witnessed by both presidents.

Hu arrived in the ROK capital of Seoul earlier on Monday for a two-day state visit, his second to the country while in office. His first visit to the ROK as president was in November 2005.

Hu and Lee have already met twice since the ROK leader took office in February. During their first summit in Beijing in May, both leaders agreed to upgrade Seoul-Beijing relations from a "comprehensive cooperative partnership" to a "strategic cooperative partnership".

They met again on Aug. 9 in Beijing when Lee was in the Chinese capital to attend the previous day's opening ceremony of the 29th Summer Olympics.

The ROK is the first-leg of Hu's three-nation Asian tour. He will also visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2008)