Chinese President Hu Jintao met President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in London Friday on the strengthening of bilateral ties and other major world and regional issues.

Since China and ROK established diplomatic relations 17 years ago, the foundation of friendship between the two countries has been consolidated continuously, and cooperation in various sectors been expanded rapidly.

In recent years, the two countries have maintained frequent high-level visits and contacts. Last August, President Hu paid a state visit to ROK after the ROK president visited China last May and attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on August 8, 2008.

The two leaders are currently in London, where they attended a Group of Twenty (G20) summit on financial crisis Thursday.

The London Summit brought together leaders of the G20, and representatives of international organizations and financial institutions to work cooperatively to restore stability and stimulate global economic growth.

The G20 consists of China, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Britain, the United States and the European Union.

(Xinhua News Agency April 3, 2009)