BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday China will speed up bilateral free trade agreement negotiations with South Korea, state television CCTV reported.

China will deepen cooperation with South Korea on areas including high-tech manufacturing, big data and green economy, Xi told South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at the G20 Summit, CCTV said.

Xi also stressed the importance of ensuring “safe, stable, and smooth global supply chains” as well as opposing the “politicisation of economic cooperation” and the “broadening of security”, according to CCTV.

South Korea’s Yoon hopes for co-operation with China, Japan

The “broadening of security” is a phrase Beijing has used when criticising the United States and its allies for blocking economic deals involving China due to national security concerns.

South Korea is an important source of high-tech products for China.