President Hu Jintao said on Tuesday that China's development cannot be separated from Asia, while Asia's development cannot advance without China.

Hu made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.

"China has pursued a policy of building good relations with neighboring countries," Hu said.

He said China will support the integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as ASEAN's leading role in east Asian cooperation.

China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to create a regional environment featuring peace, stability, equality and cooperation, the president said.

Lee said Asian countries have the capability to maintain regional stability and economic growth through their cooperation.

Singapore highly appreciates China's participation in regional cooperation and supports the ASEAN's efforts to strengthen its partnership with China, Lee said.

He added that Singapore will work with China to promote regional integration.

Both leaders also discussed the development of bilateral relations, with Hu calling on the two countries to strengthen cooperation in accordance with their respective development strategies.

"China and Singapore should understand and support each other on issues concerning our core interests and major concerns. We should combine bilateral cooperation with our respective development strategies and expand it," Hu said.

He also called on the two countries to enhance coordination and cooperation on international and regional affairs, as well as promote peace and development in Asia and the world.

Lee spoke highly of several projects resulting from cooperation between the two countries, describing an industrial park in east China's city of Suzhou and an ecological park in north China's Tianjin municipality as examples of reciprocal cooperation.

Singapore will join hands with China to continue to explore new areas for bilateral cooperation and promote Singapore-China relations, he said.

Singapore is China's third-largest trading partner among ASEAN member states. Their bilateral trade volume in 2011 reached $63.482 billion, up 11.2 percent.

Lee is scheduled to meet with local leaders and visit the ecological park in Tianjin Tuesday afternoon. He will return to Beijing on Wednesday.

Invited by his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao, Lee started his official China visit on Sunday afternoon. He is scheduled to meet with top legislator Wu Bangguo, Vice President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Li Keqiang, as well as hold talks with Wen.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2012)