Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, who is in China to attend the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday met with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, who is here to attend the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC).

The two countries should maintain the tradition of high-level exchanges so as to provide strategic guidance for the development of bilateral relations, Xi said.

He called for the two sides to work for a high-quality development of jointly building the Belt and Road, make good use of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, enhance cooperation in third markets and achieve progress as early as possible.

The two countries should firmly support economic globalization and multilateralism, promote solidarity and cooperation among Asian countries, and take the CDAC as an opportunity to build a better Asia together, Xi said.

Noting that it is the right time for China to host the CDAC, Halimah said that the conference will be conducive to exploring better ways to benefit people from across the world.

Singapore has firmly supported the Belt and Road Initiative from the beginning and is ready to deepen economic, trade, people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation with China and jointly uphold the rule-based multilateral trading system, she said.