Kazakhstan is willing to promote cooperation with China in various fields, said visiting Kazakhstan President Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev in Yining of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Friday.

 

Nazarbayev, who was here for a two-day working visit to Xinjiang, made the remarks during his meeting with Wang Lequan, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee of the CPC.

 

He said the cooperation between Kazakhstan and China, two neighboring countries, is conducive?to enhancing understanding and trust between the two peoples and will bring concrete benefits for both sides.

 

Wang Lequan said China and Kazakhstan have witnessed rapid development of good-neighborly and friendly cooperation in recent years, and enjoyed cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, energy and transport.

 

Kazakhstan has been Xinjiang's largest trade partner in the past 10 years and cross-border trade between China and Kazakhstan has been very active, Wang said.

 

China and Kazakhstan will start the oil pipeline program soon, which has strategic significance for the two sides, Wang said. He said he hoped that such energy cooperation will drive cooperation between the two countries in other fields.

 

Xinjiang is willing to expand cooperation with Kazakhstan in order to further the bilateral ties, Wang added.

 

After the meeting, the two sides signed a framework agreement on establishing a center of international boundary cooperation in the Helgus boundary port.?

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2004)