Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov agreed in Ashgabat on Sunday to continually advance bilateral cooperation in an all-round and sustainable way.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) shakes hands with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan, on Dec. 13, 2009. [Xinhua]

The Chinese president, who arrived here earlier in the day for a working visit, held talks with Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat, capital of this Central Asia nation in the afternoon.

Hu said the Chinese and Turkmen economies are highly complementary to each other, and bilateral cooperation in all dimensions and various fields accords with the needs of economic development of both countries.

Hu outlined four areas that the two countries should focus on to advance practical cooperation.

Firstly, the two countries should start as soon as possible the mechanism of Sino-Turkmen cooperation committee so as to better guide and coordinate practical cooperation between the two countries.

Secondly, the two countries should continue to deepen cooperation in the energy sector. Hu said the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline is a cooperative project that benefits the two countries and the whole region.

China is ready to work with Turkmenistan to secure smooth operation of the gas pipeline, and further advance bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas sector in line with the principle of equal consultation and mutual benefit, Hu said.

Thirdly, the two countries should also strengthen cooperation in non-energy fields. Hu said China is ready to expand cooperation with Turkmenistan in transport, telecommunications, building materials and infrastructure development. He proposed that the two countries should study and draft a plan of middle- and long-term cooperation in non-energy fields.

Fourthly, the two countries should earnestly implement the credit projects they agreed upon by accelerating the inauguration of relevant projects.

After the talks, Hu and Berdymukhamedov attended the signing ceremony of a number of cooperation documents in trade, investment, and telecommunications.

Hu said the activities of the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism in Central Asia have posed a serious threat to the stability of all countries in the region.

China is ready to strengthen communication with Turkmenistan and work together to crack down on the "three evil forces" and cross-border crimes so as to effectively maintain regional security and stability, he said.

Hu emphasized that cooperation in the fields of humanities and culture is an important part of bilateral relations. He said expanding cultural cooperation is conducive to reinforcing the foundation of bilateral friendship and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields.