Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe on Tuesday for a state visit and to attend the 8th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, scheduled for Thursday.

Hu flew to Dushanbe from Seoul after concluding a state visit to the Republic of Korea, and was met at the airport by Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L Front) waves to people as Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon (R Front) greets him at the airport in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe Aug. 26, 2008. [Ju Peng/Xinhua]

During his stay in Dushanbe, President Hu will hold talks with Rakhmon and sign bilateral cooperation deals related to political, economic and trade exchanges, according to a senior official of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

In a written speech delivered at the airport, Hu said China and Tajikistan are friendly neighbors sharing common mountains and rivers.

Since the two countries forged diplomatic ties 16 years ago, bilateral relations have witnessed smooth development with tangible results achieved in political, economic, security and other areas, he said.

The two countries have resolved lingering border disputes and signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation featuring good-neighborly relations last year, Hu noted.

China and Tajikistan have also supported each other on major and sensitive issues of mutual concern, and cooperated closely under multilateral frameworks including the SCO and the United Nations, he added.

During his visit to Tajikistan, President Hu will sum up the current position of bilateral ties and blueprint key areas for future cooperation.

"With concerted efforts made by both, the visit will be a complete success and Sino-Tajik good-neighborly, friendly and cooperative ties will be uplifted to a new level," he said.

Bilateral ties have maintained good momentum in recent years, with the two countries working more closely on trade, transportation, telecommunication, infrastructure, education, culture and sports.

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

President Hu will also attend the annual SCO summit in Dushanbeon Thursday.

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

Tajikistan is the second leg of Hu's three-nation tour, which will next take him to Turkmenistan.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2008)