BEIJING (Yonhap) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is in line to become Beijing's next leader, hosted Park Joon-young, governor of South Korea's South Jeolla Province, in a rare meeting, Park said.

During the Thursday meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Xi expressed his willingness to fully support the upcoming World Expo to be hosted by South Korea next month, according to Park.

The Yeosu World Expo is scheduled to kick off in May for a 93-day run. The event is expected to draw more than 8 million visitors from more than 100 countries.

Yeosu, a port city of South Jeolla Province, is located some 455 kilometers south of Seoul.

Xi and Park also exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including North Korea and agricultural cooperation among local governments of South Korea and China, during the 40-minute meeting, Park said.