Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, Oct. 10, 2013. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with leaders of South Korea, Indonesia, Cambodia and New Zealand Thursday on the sidelines of the 8th East Asia summit.

When meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Li said that to strengthen strategic communication and practical cooperation between China and South Korea is conducive to peace and development of the region.

China stands ready to keep high-level contacts and expand cultural and people-to-people exchange with South Korea, Li said, adding that his country is also ready to actively push forward the construction of a China-South Korea free trade area and raise bilateral cooperation to a higher level.

Park said her country is willing to work with China to comprehensively implement the cooperation consensus between the two countries, accelerate negotiations on a free trade agreement, deepen cooperation in various fields and advance the South Korea-China relationship.