Chinese president begins visit to Uzbekistan

Xinhuanet June 14 Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Tashkent Monday evening to begin a state visit to Uzbekistan and to attend the annual summit meeting of the ShanghaiCooperation Organization (SCO). Hu said in a written speech upon arrival at the airport that his current visit to Uzbekistan is aimed at "outlining the orientation and key areas of cooperation" of China-Uzbekistan relations. The Chinese president is expected to meet with Uzbek President Islam Karimov and other Uzbek leaders during his stay in Tashkent. China and Uzbekistan established full diplomatic relations 12 years ago. Hu said the two countries have respected each other andtreated each others with sincerity. The SCO summit meeting, slated to begin on June 17, will focus on regional security issues and development orientation of the organization. Since China and Uzbekistan established diplomatic ties in January 1992, bilateral relations have developed smoothly and quite well. The two countries set up their diplomatic ties soon after Uzbekistan's announcement of independence on Sept. 1, 1991, which opened a new chapter of the relations between the two states on the ancient "Silk Road" flourishing 2000 years ago. Based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the two nations' cooperation in politics, economy, science, technology and culture has developed very well in recent years. Top leaders of the two states have exchanged frequent visits that have greatly pushed forward bilateral relationship. China and Uzbekistan share many common grounds. Both are developing countries, conducting economic reforms under new circumstances and economically complementary with each other. The two states have signed scores of agreements on cooperation. China has formed dozens of joint ventures in Uzbekistan and economic reforms in Uzbekistan have opened broad prospects for expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation. The two countries' leaders attach great significance to strengthening the mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, investment, production and services, with priorities given to enhancing the cooperation in transport and shipping. They pledged to reinvigorate the "Silk Road" through bilateral and multilateral interaction. The two neighbors have also deepened their collaboration in fighting terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking. Beijing and Tashkent have repeatedly stated their stands on jointly combating separatism, religious extremism and international terrorism. Uzbekistan has reiterated its adherence to the one-China policy. In June 2001, Uzbekistan joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and signed the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism. Since then, China and Uzbekistan have maintained active and effective cooperation in the SCO framework and achieved further development of bilateral ties. Observers in Tashkent noted that lasting and steady development of the Sino-Uzbek friendly relations and cooperation conforms to fundamental interests of both countries and peoples and benefits regional peace, stability and development.