Wed, June 06, 2012
BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Intensive diplomatic meetings between the top leader of China and visiting central Asian nations occupied the Great Hall of People Tuesday in Beijing less than a day ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
"The China-Russia relationship has maintained a positive, healthy and stable momentum of development over the recent years with the two sides' joint efforts," said Chinese President Hu Jintao while meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Tuesday afternoon.
Putin's current visit is his first to China during his third term as Russian president.
Prior to the meeting, Hu held a red-carpet welcoming ceremony for Putin inside the building housing China's legislature -- the National People's Congress.
The Chinese president said China would like to work with the Russian side in deepening all-round cooperation, cementing friendship, and enhancing strategic coordination in handling international and regional affairs, so to better promote common development and safeguard the international community.
Currently, both China and Russia are committed to adjusting their economic structure, said Hu, adding that the two nations should give full play to the strong complementarity of the two economies to promote trade connections.
He urged the two countries to closely cooperate in such areas as energy, further processing of resources, electro-mechanical manufacturing, high-tech and innovation, as well as cross-border infrastructure construction.
The Chinese president also said the two sides should expand people-to-people and cultural cooperation, and make an action plan for the next 10 years with an emphasis on youth exchanges.
China and Russia have effectively preserved their common interests and will promote peace, security and stability in the region and around the world in working with each other to deal with international and regional affairs, said Hu.
He also said the two countries should strengthen their cooperation within the UN, the SCO, the BRICS group and the Group of 20 nations to safeguard the UN Charter and principles, as well as the ground rules of international relations, promote the unity and cooperation among emerging economies and the developing countries, and shape a more just and reasonable world political and economic order.
Putin said the two countries' comprehensive partnership of strategic coordination has reached an unprecedented level through the efforts of both sides.
He said the two sides share extensive common interests and high-level strategic mutual trust. Bilateral cooperation in trade, technology and culture has been quite fruitful, he added.
The Russian side is confident that the two nations can achieve the goal for bilateral trade to reach 100 billion U.S. dollars in 2015 and 200 billion dollars in 2020, said the Russian leader.
In 2011, bilateral trade volume reached 80 billion U.S. dollars, a record high showing a 42.7-percent year-on-year rise.
Putin said the Russian side hopes to coordinate with the Chinese side more closely to push ahead with key projects and improve the structure of bilateral cooperation.
Before the formal talks, Hu and Putin held a closed-door meeting on some major issues. The two leaders also attended the signing ceremony of a number of cooperation agreements and met the press after the meeting.
Also on Tuesday, the Chinese president met with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev.
While meeting with Emomali Rahmon, Hu said China will continue supporting Tajikistan in its development according to its own national conditions and make concerted efforts with the Tajik side to promote neighborly cooperation.
Meeting Rahmon for the 13th time since 2003, President Hu said the two sides should maintain frequent high-level interactions on regional and international issues of common concern to address common challenges and consolidate their political foundation for cooperation.
Hu said the two sides should boost cooperation in areas like energy resources, inter-connectivity of infrastructure and agriculture.
The nations' law-enforcement and security agencies should maintain close communication, and China will support Tajikistan's work to host an upcoming joint anti-terrorism military exercise, Hu said.
Armed forces from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states will take part in the "Peace Mission 2012" drill in Tajikistan from June 8-14.
Rahmon reiterated the country's firm adherence to the one-China policy and said facts have proved that Tajikistan and China are reliable friends.
He also said his country is ready to join hands with the Chinese side to fight the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism and combat drug trafficking and other cross-border organized crimes.
In his meeting with Almazbek Atambayev, Hu said China will continue to support Kyrgyzstan's independent choice of its development path, Hu said.
The Chinese president suggested the two countries step up cross-border infrastructure construction, including the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and highway.
He called on the two sides to strengthen electric power cooperation, including power grid upgrades in Kyrgyzstan and joint projects on trans-boundary water and electricity.
Atambayev said he appreciated China's sincere support for its sovereignty, independence, stability and development, noting that Kyrgyzstan is willing to work with China to boost bilateral ties.
Kyrgyzstan hoped to expand economic and trade cooperation with China, step up consultation on railway and highway projects, and push forward joint work in areas of transportation, electricity, agriculture, mining and light industry, Atambayev said.
He said Kyrgyzstan will continue supporting China on issues concerning its core interests and major concerns, and work with China to combat the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, so as to safeguard regional peace and stability.
