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Chinese, Tajik presidents discuss bilateral co-op

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-11 00:14

TASHKENT - Chinese President Hu Jintao met Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon here Thursday and called for further bilateral cooperation between the two neighbors.

Hu and Rakhmon exchanged views on bilateral relations and other issues of common concern on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is scheduled for Friday.

Hu thanked Rakhmon for sending him a letter of condolence after the devastating earthquake in northwest China's Qinghai Province in April. He also expressed appreciation to Rakhmon and the government of Tajikistan for their support to China's hosting of the ongoing Shanghai Expo.

Hu said Sino-Tajik ties had witnessed healthly and smooth development in recent years, saying the two countries maintained close exchanges at high levels, increasingly deep mutual political trust and further expanded practical cooperation in various sectors.

The two sides supported each other firmly on major issues of mutual concerns, coordinated and cooperated with each other within multilateral mechanisms, including the U.N. and the SCO, and this safeguarded the core interests of the two countries effectively, Hu said.

Hu said China had always attached importance to the development of the Sino-Tajik relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

China firmly supported Tajikistan for its efforts on safeguarding sovereignty and stability and boosting national economic development, he said, adding China was willing to work with Tajikistan to push forward development of the friendly and cooperative relationship.

Hu said cooperation between the two countries developed smoothly in the sectors of economy and trade, telecommunication, mining, and agriculture and infrastructure, which gave impetus to the two countries' economic and social development.

In the next stage, Hu proposed the two sides should set up a mechanism for customs cooperation to streamline customs procedures and support bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

The two countries should also expand cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture and mining and upgrade economic and trade cooperation.

China was ready to work with Tajikistan to strengthen cooperation in the field of law enforcement security within the bilateral mechanism and the framework of the SCO to safeguard peace and well-being in the region and to enhance communication and coordination in a bid to lift the development of the SCO to a new height.

Rakhmon said his meeting with Hu in Russia last year set the orientation and tasks for future development of bilateral links. Now, they were able to review the result of implementing such consensus at this meeting, he said.

Mutual political trust had been deepened and friendly cooperation had reached new progress in the past year, Rakhmon said.

Rakhmon noted the two countries completed the demarcation of their border earlier this month, with their foreign ministries signing an agreement in Beijing.

Leaders of the two countries have maintained frequent contact since China and Tajikistan established diplomatic ties in 1992.

Rakhmon has visited China many times, most recently in 2008. During his visit to Beijing in 2007, Rakhmon and Hu signed a treaty on forging a cooperative relationship between the two countries.

Hu paid a state visit to Tajikistan immediately after the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

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The exchange of visits by the heads of state and other leaders have helped advance bilateral ties to a new stage. China and Tajikistan have continuously improved mutual trust, expanded mutually beneficial cooperation and carried out close cooperation within the multilateral frameworks of the U.N. and the SCO.

The two countries have carried out close cooperation in the areas of trade, economy, transport, science, technology, education and culture.

Rakhmon said, over the past year, bilateral cooperation in other areas also achieved rich results. With the assistance of China, Tajikistan had completed a number of major infrastructure projects, including bridges and an electricity transmission line connecting the power grids in northern and southern parts of the country.

Tajikistan has stood fast on the one-China policy and given firm support to China on the Taiwan issue, issues related to Tibet and the crackdown on the terrorist forces such as "Eastern Turkistan."

On Friday, Hu and Rakhmon will join other leaders of SCO members for the summit, where strategies for safeguarding security and stability in the region and strengthening pragmatic cooperation will be discussed.

Founded in 2001, the SCO consists of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Iran are observers.