TASHKENT: Kyrgyzstan recognized China as a full market economy yesterday.

The announcement was made as China's President Hu Jintao met separately with the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan here Wednesday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) summit.

Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev presented Hu with a written document to confirm Kyrgyzstan's recognition of China's full market economy status.

Akayev said China has established a complete market economic system after its 25 years of reforms and opening up to the outside world. The process accelerated after China joined the World Trade Organization.

Hu said the move by Kyrgyzstan will "greatly push forward China-Kyrgyzstan bilateral trade and economic co-operation."

Hu told Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov the two sides should support each other on major issues, enhance law-enforcement co-operation to fight against the terrorism, separatism and extremism - known as the "three forces" - and drug trafficking, improve economic relations and cultural exchanges.

For his part, Rakhmonov described China as a "good friend, good partner and good neighbour" of Tajikistan and said the two sides should expand co-operation to explore potential trade and economic ties.

Hu and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev agreed that the two sides should implement the agreements signed last month in Beijing when Nazarbayev visited China on time.

Hu said China supports Kazakhstan's proposal to connect railways from China to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran.

The presidents all stressed their support for the SCO.

President Hu Jintao also met on Wednesday night with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is here to attend the summit meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization as a guest of the president of Uzbekistan.

Hu told Karzai that he was shocked and deeply saddened by the terrorist attack on Chinese workers in Afghanistan.

China thinks what the Afghan Government has done so far to deal with the aftermath of the attack is positive, but hopes the Afghan Government will do more, Hu said.

"We are very much concerned with the fact that the criminals are still at large," Hu said. "We hope the Afghan Government would carry out a thorough investigation into the incident as soon as possible and punish those responsible."

China also hopes the Afghan Government will take effective measures to protect Chinese nationals in Afghanistan, Hu said.

Hu yesterday also met Russian President Vladimir Putin after the summit. Two presidents exchanged views on bilateral ties..

(China Daily 06/18/2004 page1)