Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon met in Dushanbe Wednesday to discuss ways of furthering bilateral ties.

They are also expected to discuss major international and regional issues. Following their talks, the two leaders will witness the signing of cooperation documents by representatives of the two countries, according to the schedule.

The cooperation deals involve political, economic and trade sectors, said a Chinese foreign ministry official.

The two presidents will meet the press later in the day.

China-Tajikistan ties have kept a good momentum of development in recent years. The two countries have worked more closely on trade, transportation, telecommunications, infrastructure, education, culture and sports.

China and Tajikistan also carried out fruitful cooperation in cracking down on East Turkistan separatists and the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as fighting drug trafficking.

During his visit to China last year, President Rakhmon and President Hu signed the China-Tajikistan Good-Neighborly and Friendly Cooperation Treaty.

Hu arrived in Dushanbe Tuesday from Seoul after a state visit to the Republic of Korea. In Dushanbe, he will also attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) slated for Thursday.

Founded in 2001, the SCO groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The Chinese president will leave for Turkmenistan Thursday to continue his three-nation tour.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2008)