President Lee Jae-myung spoke over the phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday for the first time since taking office last week.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters that Lee and Xi spoke for some 30 minutes, starting at 11:30 a.m.

According to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, Xi assessed that since forging diplomatic ties 33 years ago, the two countries have transcended differences in ideology and social systems, actively sought exchanges and cooperation, and achieved joint development. 

The Chinese leader proposed that they elevate their strategic cooperative partnership to bring greater benefits to people on both sides, as well as greater certainty in regional and international affairs in the midst of chaos.

Through close cooperation and multilateral adjustments, Xi called on both countries to jointly defend multilateralism and free trade while working to ensure stability in global and regional industrial supply chains.

Lee, in response, took note of the geographical proximity between the two countries, their history of exchanges, and their close connections in terms of economics, trade and culture.

The South Korean president said he attaches great importance to Seoul-Beijing relations, expressing a resolve to further develop their friendly ties and promote positive sentiment between the peoples of both countries to achieve further progress in cooperation.

It was Lee’s third official dialogue with a foreign leader, after phone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday.