Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Cheng Yonghua appealed for joint efforts between China and South Korea to overcome the global economic recession, the Korea Herald reported on Wednesday.

"This is a time for the two countries to help each other the most so both can overcome the global crisis together," Cheng said at a breakfast meeting hosted by the Korea Importers Association on Tuesday.

The diplomat proposed to take measures such as working on a free trade agreement and expanding mutual investment when expressed his worry that the bilateral trade between China and South Korea shows signs of taking a downward turn amid the global recession.

He suggested that the two countries put efforts in preventing commercial conflicts to early achieve the mark of 200 billion U.S. dollars in trade by 2010.

China is currently the biggest trade partner of South Korea.

However, trade between the two countries currently plummeted. Exports to China plunged 32.2 percent as China cut down on its imports in the last quarter of 2008.

Source:Xinhua