Chinese President Hu Jintao met with President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Beijing on Saturday, who are here to attend the second trilateral leaders' meeting.

Hailing the progress of China's relations with the two countries, Hu said China is ready to make joint efforts with Japan and the ROK to implement consensus, boost healthy development of China-ROK strategic cooperative partnership and China-Japan strategic mutually-beneficial ties.

The substantial cooperation between China and the two countries in various areas had been further expanded, he said.

Hu congratulated the success of the second trilateral leaders' meeting held in Beijing on Saturday, calling on the three nations to seize historical opportunities to further strengthen strategic trust, respect respective major interests and concerns, and make concerted efforts for mutual benefits and common development.

The Chinese president hopes the three countries to facilitate east Asian cooperation and jointly respond to regional hot issues and global challenges to unveil a new chapter for peace, cooperation and development of east Asia.

In response, Lee Myung-bak said the three countries had made great achievements in expanding cooperation in the past ten years. "China's economy is now stabilizing and turning for the better, which plays a positive role in promoting economic recovery of the ROK and Japan," he added.

Lee spoke highly of Hu's important speech on the UN climate change summit in New York last month, expressing appreciation over China's contribution to reopening the six-party talks and promoting a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Hatoyama extended congratulations to Hu on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, adding he was glad to see China's great achievements.

He told Hu the Japanese government would like to cooperate closely with China to boost bilateral ties in a spirit of drawing lessons from history and facing up to the future.

Hatoyama also expressed satisfaction over the progress of trilateral cooperation, calling on the three sides to respect each other and share successful experience to promote greater achievement of trilateral cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2009)