Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov have agreed to expand cooperation in various fields so as to push the friendly ties forward, according to a joint statement issued Friday.

The two leaders noted with satisfaction that bilateral ties have enjoyed sound and steady development and yielded rich fruits in recent years.

They agreed further development and consolidation of bilateral ties will continue to guide the foreign policies of both countries.

COOPERATION IN POLITICS

The two countries will continue to exchange high-level official visits and conduct exchanges at various levels, the statement said, adding that efforts will be intensified to implement bilateral agreements in a bid to boost mutual political trust.

The two nations will strengthen communication between the two parliaments, conduct friendly exchanges and cooperation at various levels and further improve the legal basis for bilateral cooperation, the statement added.

President Hu hailed the remarkable achievements made by Turkmenistan in national construction and social-economic development, reaffirming China's staunch support to the Central Asian country in choosing its own model of development suited to its national realities.

President Berdymukhamedov reiterated his country's adherence to the one-China policy, saying that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and that Turkmenistan opposes any form of "Taiwan independence" and supports all efforts by the Chinese government to realize national reunification.

Hu thanked Turkmenistan for its unwavering support to China in cracking down on the East Turkistan terrorists and the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

The two leaders also pledged to enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks including the United Nations and intensify coordination on international and regional issues, in an effort to create better external conditions for the development of both countries.