.Hu's CentAsia tour will help strengthen coop'n--Ministry.

10/12 Tass 88

BEIJING, December 10 (Itar-Tass) - Visits by President Hu Jintao of
the People's Republic of China (PRC) to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on
December 12-14 will be of importance for promoting mutually beneficial
cooperation among the countries, Wang Guangya, Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the PRC, told journalists at a special briefing here on
Thursday.

The development of China's relations of traditional friendship with
Central Asia countries meets common interests, the diplomat emphasized.
Beijing, he said, attaches much importance to the promotion of cooperation
with the region.
Touching upon the Chinese President's forthcoming visit to Kazakhstan,
Wang stressed that ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations
with that country in1992, China had been adhering to the principles of
mutual advantage and friendship in the development of contacts with that
country. In recent years, he said, mutual political trust has grown
stronger; strides have been made in bilateral cooperation in various
fields; the two countries have been maintaining frequent top-level
contacts. The diplomat also expressed hope that this visit by Hu Jintao
would give a fresh impetus to the development of Sino-Kazakhstani
relations.
As far as Turkmenistan is concerned, Wang said, cooperation between
the two countries has been continuously gaining in scope in recent years
in the political, economic and cultural fields. Considerable successes, he
said, have been achieved in bilateral trade and in interaction in the
spheres of energy resources and transport. When visiting that country, the
Chinese leader will exchange views with its leadership on important
international and regional matters of mutual interest. The PRC Deputy
Foreign Minister expressed hope that the visit would make it possible to
raise mutual political trust and strengthen practical cooperation.
When in Turkmenistan, the Chinese President will also attend a
ceremony marking the commissioning of the transnational gas pipeline
Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China, the diplomat announced.
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