Chinese President Hu Jintao will confer with Afghan Transitional Government President Hamid Karzai at the Tashkent summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization scheduled on June 17.

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui said this at a press briefing on Tuesday morning.

Li said the two heads of state will exchange views on bilateral relations, including cooperation on the fields of security, anti-terrorism and drug fighting.

Karzai was invited by Uzbekistani President Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov to attend the summit, Li said, adding that this was the first time that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization had invited the leader of a non-SCO member state to be present at the summit.

Chinese President Hu Jintao is to make state visits to Poland, Hungary, Romania and Uzbekistan from June 8 to 18. During his visit, Hu will attend the Tashkent summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2004)