SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung has stressed China's "constructive role" in maintaining peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, Beijing's Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

Lee said South Korea "urgently needs China's constructive role in order to achieve a substantive solution" for nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula, in a written interview with the state-run news agency coinciding with Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to South Korea in about 11 years to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the country's historic city of Gyeongju this week.

Lee also said that he "will work with China to strengthen strategic communication based on the consensus that peace and stability are in the common interests of both countries, and achieve denuclearization and peace on the peninsula."

"South Korea remains committed to cooperation among APEC member economies and promoting the implementation of various collaborative projects. This aims to achieve shared prosperity and development, transforming APEC into an effective and substantive platform for cooperation," he added.

Xi, who wrapped up his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Busan earlier in the day, during which the two resolved most disputed issues including cutting U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods and lifting restrictions on exports of Chinese rare earths, is scheduled to sit down for talks with Lee on Saturday.

* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.

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