In a meeting with Roh Tae-Woo, former president of the Republic of Korea (ROK), President Jiang said that China firmly supported all efforts conducive to promoting peace and stability on the peninsula.

In line with the clear-cut stance China always took on the nuclear issue, it backed all efforts for a nuclear-free peninsula, he said.

Jiang stated that his country was against all those which countered such efforts and was opposed to the proliferation of weapons of mass-destruction.

Implementing the hard-earned framework agreement on the nuclear issue signed between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States in 1994, was in the interests of all parties concerned and China hoped that the relevant issues could be resolved through dialogue, Jiang said.

He welcomed Roh Tae-Woo's visit on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-ROK diplomatic relations, saying that bilateral ties had proceeded smoothly in the past decade.

ROK President Kim Dae-jung's 1998 China visit resulted in the formation of a cooperative partnership for the 21st century, Jiang said, adding that current Sino-ROK ties were heading for a new phase of all-round cooperation.

The rapid growth of Sino-ROK ties has not only promoted the joint progress of the two countries but also contributed positively to peace and stability on the peninsular and in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, he noted.

When giving an account of the just-concluded 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Jiang said it held great historical significance for the advancement of the country and the CPC.

Noting that the CPC had achieved the smooth succession of its central leadership, he said he was convinced that the resolutions of the party congress would greatly help encourage the CPC, along with the people of all ethnic groups across China, to keep pace with the times and advance socialist construction with Chinese characteristics.

Roh Tae-Woo conveyed his congratulations on the success of the CPC congress and President Kim Dae-jung's greetings to Jiang. He also praised China for the remarkable achievements it had scored under the third-generation leadership with Jiang at the core.

Acknowledging that China has undergone earth-shaking changes since his first visit, he said it was of strategical importance for the country's future development to enshrine the "Three Represents" into the CPC constitution and set the goal of fully achieving a "well-off society" by 2020.

The friendly cooperative ties between the ROK and China had made remarkable strides in all fields over the past decade, he said, expressing the hope this relationship would continue.

Roh Tae-Woo and his party are visiting China as guests of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.

(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2002)