Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday met with leaders of Japan, South Korea and the Philippines on the sidelines of the meetings on East Asian cooperation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 

When meeting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Li said both sides are committed to strengthening cooperation in the fields of politics, trade and economy, and people-to-people exchange, and should work together to promote the stable and healthy development of relations between the two countries. 

Kishida said Japan and China should seek peaceful coexistence and the Japanese side will work together with China to push Japan-China relations forward. 

During talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, the premier said he hopes the two sides will continue to uphold the spirits of mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote the sustainable and healthy development of cooperation between the two countries in various fields. 

For his part, Yoon said he hoped to work with the Chinese side and push for greater development of bilateral ties based on mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation. 

Li said China and the Philippines have far greater common interests than disagreements and China is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with the Philippines while meeting Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos. China is ready to work with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) including the Philippines to jointly safeguard the safety and stability of the South China Sea based on mutual respect, he added. 

Marcos said the Philippine side is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with the Chinese side and to jointly promote new progress in relations between the two countries and cooperation in various fields. 

(Cover: Screenshot of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. /CMG)