Defense ministers of China and Kazakhstan agreed Friday to upgrade cooperation of the two militaries to a new level.

At a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart, Adilbek Dzhaksybekov, visiting Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie recalled the smooth growth of the bilateral cooperative relationship since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Kazakhstan, including frequent top-level exchanges, deepening of political trust, and expansion of cooperation in all aspects.

He recalled frequent meetings between Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The two leaders held in-depth discussions on how to further bilateral strategic partnership, thus continuously adding new momentum and providing guidance to the development of bilateral ties.

Liang said military-to-military relationship is a key part of overall bilateral relations. Supported by leaders of both nations, relations between the two militaries have been growing steadily while leaders of both militaries have maintained frequent contacts on bilateral and multilateral occasions. Exchange and cooperation between the two militaries are being strengthened across the board.

Liang expressed the hope to increase contacts and deepen cooperation with the Kazakh side, so as to upgrade the relationship between the two militaries to a new level.

Dzhaksybekov agreed. He noted that the two countries have maintained a high-level of mutual trust and frequent contacts between their leaders. The two nations also have same or similar views on many regional and global issues, and have maintained mutual support and close coordination in addressing those issues.

He said developing relations with China, a friendly neighbor, is a top priority of Kazakhstan's foreign policy. The Kazakh military attaches great importance to forging closer ties with the Chinese military and is willing to increase bilateral cooperation in personnel training, exchanges between relevant military branches, military technology, joint exercises, and other areas.

Liang was on the last leg of a three-nation goodwill trip that has taken him to Pakistan and Turkmenistan.