President Hu Jintao said in Astana Monday China stands ready to work with Kazakhstan to expand areas of mutually beneficial cooperation.  

In a meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov, Hu, who is here on an official state visit, said Chinese-Kazakh relations have kept a strong momentum of growth in recent years, marked by deepening mutual trust and an ever stronger political foundation.

Bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, transportation, humanities and security has yielded important results and coordination in international organizations like the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has also been fruitful, Hu said.

The strategic partnership between China and Kazakhstan, which will upgrade bilateral ties to a new height, is in the interests of the two peoples and conducive to regional peace and stability, Hu said.

Hu described the economic cooperation as an important foundation for bilateral ties, saying two-way trade has kept an upward trend in recent years and the oil pipeline project is making headway.

The two sides have set a target of hitting US$10 billion in two-way trade by 2010 and are expecting cooperation to expand in energy, telecommunications and transportation, the Chinese president said.

Akhmetov, for his part, said the Kazakh government is trying to diversify its economy and its cooperation with China plays a big role in Kazakhstan's development strategy.

Kazakhstan will ensure the Kazakh-Chinese oil pipeline project is completed on schedule and welcomes Chinese companies to take part in the exploration and development of Kazakhstan's gas and oil resources, Akhmetov said.

The Kazakh prime minister called for more exchanges and cooperation in the hi-tech sectors between the two countries, and has pledged his government's efforts to work with the Chinese side to fulfill the commitments from both sides in mutually beneficial cooperation.

Later on the day, Hu also met with Nurtai Abykaev, chairman of the Senate (upper house of parliament), and Ural Muhamedzanov, chairman of the Mazhlis (lower house of parliament).

Hu expressed his appreciation for the adoption of the law against extremism that was passed by the Kazakh parliament last year, saying cracking down on the three evil forces, namely terrorism, separatism and extremism, helps create a peaceful and stable environment for development in the region.

The legislative bodies of the two countries have worked effectively in pushing forward the friendly ties between the two nations, Hu said.

Abykaev said the Kazakh parliament resolutely opposes the three evil forces and Taiwan independence. He voiced support for China's national reunification.

Muhamedzanov said it is a consensus among all the lawmakers of the Mazhlis to strengthen the friendly ties with China, and the lower house looks forward to closer contacts with the National People's Congress, China's parliament.

The Chinese president flew in Sunday for a state visit and he will attend the fifth SCO summit slated for Tuesday.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2005)