President Hu Jintao and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Monday decided to upgrade bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and have reached important consensus on boosting bilateral cooperation.  

During talks with Hu, who is in Astana on an official state visit, Nazarbayev noted developing all-round ties with China is a priority in Kazakhstan's foreign policy.

He expressed belief that President Hu's visit will give a strong impetus to Kazakh-Chinese relations.

Hu, for his part, said China and Kazakhstan have maintained a strong momentum of growth in bilateral ties and have supported each other on issues concerning independence, territorial integrity, as well as national sovereignty and security.

Practical cooperation between China and Kazakhstan has yielded fruit, while joint projects in trade, energy and transportation, in particular, have been expanded, Hu said.

The two countries have coordinated closely within international frameworks like the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which helped safeguard the common interests of the two nations and contributed to promoting peaceful development of the region, Hu said.

He said the joint statement on establishing the strategic partnership is of great significance to the long-term development of bilateral ties and regional peace and stability.

The Chinese president said bilateral trade will forego the preset goal and is expected to exceed US$5 billion this year. Yet still greater potential lies ahead for economic and trade ties between the two nations, Hu added.

Hu called for more measures to deepen cooperation and optimize the trade structure to include more products that have high added value and incorporate high technology.

The two nations should work to improve the environment for investment and trade, and establish a transparent management system and an effective consultative mechanism for cooperation, Hu said.

The Chinese president voiced support for Kazakhstan's accession into the World Trade Organization.

Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan firmly supports the one-China policy and China's Anti-Secession Law and the two sides have cooperated closely in fighting the three evil forces, namely terrorism, separatism and extremism.

The Kazakh president agreed upon Hu's proposals to expand economic and trade ties, saying Kazakhstan is stepping up work on the Kazakh-Chinese oil pipeline and hopes to clinch new deals with the Chinese side in energy, transportation and telecommunications.

Nazarbayev said he expected bilateral trade to hit US$10 billion by 2010.

The two leaders agreed the central Asian nations are faced with a huge task of ensuring security, maintaining stability and speeding up development, and both China and Kazakhstan are committed to safeguarding sustained stability and development through better coordination and cooperation.

The Chinese president flew in Sunday for an official state visit to Kazahkstan and will attend the fifth SCO summit slated for Tuesday.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2005)