China and South Korea will strengthen cooperation on World Expo, said visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao in Seoul on Tuesday.

Hu said he and his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak reached important consensus on a series of issues to promote bilateral ties during a fruitful meeting Monday, and to strengthen Expo cooperation is one of them.

China will host World Expo 2010 in Shanghai and the Expo theme of "Better City, Better Life" reflects the high concern of the international community over the human-living environment, Hu tolda World Expo cooperation conference held on Tuesday in Seoul.

Hu said he hoped the 2010 Shanghai Expo will serve as a platform for countries and regions around the world to exchange experience on urban construction and seek a better residential, living and working model for the whole mankind.

South Korea has extensive experience in urban development and is also one of the first countries which have pledged to attend the Shanghai Expo, said the president.

Hu also expressed gratitude to South Korea for its support and assistance to the preparation for Shanghai Expo.

China will support and actively participate in the 2012 World Expo which is to be held in Yeosu, South Korea, said the president, saying that he hoped the Yeosu Expo would become another major platform for the two nations to enhance exchanges and cooperation.

Taking advantage of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the 2012 Yeosu World Expo, the two countries have designated 2010 as Visit China Year and 2012 as Visit Korea Year to further people-to-people exchanges, said Hu.

In an effort to successfully host the two Expos, the two countries also inked a series of agreements on cooperation and experience sharing in this regard, he said.

The meeting was co-organized by the organizing committee of the Shanghai world expo, China's international trade promotion council, the organizing committee of the Yeosu world expo and the Korea trade-investment promotion agency.

Hu arrived in Seoul earlier Monday for a two-day state visit.

South Korea 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)