Chinese FM meets with SCO counterparts in Astana

ASTANA - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday met here with his Russian, Belarusian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek counterparts respectively on the sidelines of the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

When meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, hailed President Vladimir Putin's first state visit to China in his new term as a complete success.

At the important juncture of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries' heads of state jointly charted the course for the development of bilateral relations in the new era, jointly issued the heavyweight joint statement on deepening China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, and affirmed their shared commitment to strengthening China-Russia strategic coordination under the new circumstances, which demonstrated their dedication to maintaining global strategic stability as major countries, Wang said.

He stressed that by centering around the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, China is ready to work with Russia to implement a series of new important consensuses reached by the two heads of state and push China-Russia relations to a new level.

While meeting with Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik, Wang said that the two countries' heads of state have established a profound friendship as well as solid mutual trust, jointly steering China-Belarus relations into a fast lane.

In 2022, the two countries upgraded their relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, placing each other in a more important position in their respective diplomatic agendas. The two heads of state met twice last year to make plans and arrangements for strategic cooperation in the new era, he said.

China is willing to work with Belarus to implement the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state, increase political mutual support, deepen Belt and Road cooperation, continue close coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and translate the high-level political relations between the two countries into high-quality cooperation outcomes, so as to better promote the development and revitalization of the two countries, Wang said.

During his meeting with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev, Wang said that the brotherly China-Kyrgyzstan friendship is as solid as a rock and has been strengthened over time.

Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have shown a momentum of rapid and all-round development, Wang said. Trade volume, especially trade in agricultural products and new energy vehicles, has grown rapidly, and a number of major projects and new projects have been launched one after another.

He said that the two sides should continue to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state.

With the building of a China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future as the goal to be achieved through high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, the two sides should deepen political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and sustain their everlasting friendship, so as to further enrich the China-Kyrgyzstan relations, he added.

While meeting with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, the Chinese foreign minister recalled that Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid a state visit to China in January.

The two heads of state made strategic plans for China-Uzbekistan relations and set a new goal of building a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future on the basis of the China-Uzbekistan all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era by supporting each other and making mutual achievements to accelerate each other's development and revitalization, Wang said.

He stressed that the two sides should jointly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, constantly consolidate political mutual trust, and deepen all-round cooperation to promote the high-quality development of China-Uzbekistan relations.

The foreign ministers of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan voiced their support for the one-China principle, and expressed hope to promote bilateral relations by expanding cooperation.