Chinese President Hu Jintao and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Saturday pledged to advance their countries' strategic partnership.

During a meeting with Nazarbayev, Hu put forward a five-point proposal for the development of bilateral relations between China and Kazakhstan.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) meets with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana Dec. 12, 2009. [Lan Hongguang/Xinhua]

Firstly, China and Kazakhstan should strengthen their political mutual trust by maintaining the momentum of frequent high-level contact and expanding cooperation and exchanges between parliaments and government departments, Hu said.

The Chinese president said the two sides should strengthen mutual support on major issues concerning each other's core interests so as to enhance mutual understanding and trust.

Hu said he has accepted an invitation by Nazarbayev to visit Kazakhstan next year, adding that he also invited Nazarbayev to visit China at a convenient time in the near future.

Secondly, Hu said the two countries should deepen their cooperation in the energy sector, and earnestly implement the operation and maintenance of the China-Kazakhstan natural gas pipeline.

The two countries should also strengthen cooperation in the mining sector, he said.

Thirdly, China and Kazakhstan should advance their cooperation in non-energy sectors so as to push forward practical bilateral ties in an all-round manner.

The Chinese president said the two countries should step up efforts to carry out their cooperation plans in non-energy sectors and in promoting the implementation of the first batch of their cooperation projects.

Hu also called for joint efforts from both sides in expanding the scale and improving the economic returns of their non-energy cooperation.

Fourthly, the two sides need to strengthen cooperation in the financial sector, especially in such areas as loans and financing, financial supervision, risk prevention and anti-money laundering.