President
Hu Jintao discussed the
Iranian nuclear issue and bilateral ties with
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday before the start of
the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit today.
Hu said China is keen on resolving the nuclear issue through
peaceful negotiations.
He said China understands Iran's concerns but hopes the country
shows flexibility for the peaceful settlement of the issue.
Ahmadinejad said that Iran will not go beyond international laws
and regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in
using nuclear energy.
"Iran will continue to work closely with the IAEA. At the same
time, Iran will maintain contact with other parties such as China
on the issue," Ahmadinejad said.
The United States and other Western countries accuse Iran of
developing atomic weapons under the cover of civilian nuclear use,
but Teheran insists that it only wants to generate electricity
using nuclear power.
The UN Security Council has imposed sanctions against Teheran
for its nuclear program since December, demanding a halt to uranium
enrichment activities. Iran's senior officials, however, have
repeatedly refused to comply.
Hu said that China will make joint efforts with Iran to enrich
bilateral ties and enhance cooperation on the basis of equality and
mutual benefit and trust.
Ahmadinejad said Iran will continue to work with China to
develop bilateral ties and expand cooperation in economy and trade,
energy, culture, sports and science.
Iran is one of four observers at the SCO. The other three are
India, Pakistan and Mongolia.
Hu also met the presidents of Afghanistan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan
and Tajikistan.
Hu told Afghan President Hamid Karzai that he wanted China and
Afghanistan to be good neighbors, good friends and good partners
forever.
"China supports the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan and
respects the political system and development mode chosen by the
Afghan people," Hu said.
China has provided more than 80 million yuan ($10.55 million) in
aid to Afghanistan, and Hu said it will continue to work for the
successful implementation of some major projects such as Parwan
water project and Kabul hospital.
Karzai thanked the Chinese people and government and called for
more cooperation between the two countries within the framework of
regional organizations such as the SCO and South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation.
"China has always helped Afghanistan establish stability and
prosperity. On behalf of the Afghan people, I express my thanks to
the government and people of China," Karzai said.
During his talks with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov, Hu said
the Treaty on Good-Neighborhood and Friendly Cooperation, signed
earlier this year by China and Tajikistan, has ushered in a new era
in bilateral relations.
"Our two countries have launched a host of projects on
transportation and power plants and we should ensure the successful
implementation of the projects," Hu said.
President Hu encouraged more economic cooperation between local
governments of the two countries and urged more Chinese
entrepreneurs to invest in Tajikistan.
Rakhmonov spoke highly of Sino-Tajik joint projects, saying he
hoped to have more cooperation in infrastructure construction.
China and Tajikistan share a more than 45-km long border and have
agreed to make it a bridge for communication between their
peoples.
The trade volume between China and Tajikistan reached $324 million
last year, up 105 percent over 2005.
China will continue to strengthen its cooperation with Tajikistan
in fighting terrorism and drug trafficking and bringing peace and
development to the region, Hu said.
Last September, the two countries conducted a two-day joint
military exercise, "Coordination 2006" at Kulyab in Tajikistan.
More than 300 Tajik troops and a reinforced company of over 150
Chinese personnel took part in the drill.
The anti-terror drill was aimed at using joint military strength to
search and destroy terrorist organizations in the mountainous
region.
Hu held separate talks with Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar
and Uzbek President Islam Karimov, too.
He said China and Uzbekistan are important countries for
maintaining regional peace and stability.
"We have made a lot of progress in security cooperation and will
continue to strengthen our cooperation in this regard on bilateral
level or within the framework of the SCO," Hu said during his
meeting with Karimov.
The SCO has six member countries: China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan,
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Pakistan, Iran and
Mongolia are observer countries.
President Karzai and Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly
Berdymukhamedov have been invited as guests of honor.
(
China Daily August 16, 2007)
