Fourthly, both sides should expand exchanges and cooperation in such sectors as science and technology, education and culture, and to shore up nongovernmental exchanges, especially exchanges between young people of the two countries, Jia said.

Fifthly, communication and cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia should be strengthened to promote stability, prosperity and joint development of the Asian region, according to Jia.

Jia said that China always attaches great importance to developing ties with Astana and was one of the first countries to recognize Kazakhstan's independence and forge diplomatic relations with it.

Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992, the two sides have withstood the tests of drastic international change and maintained a momentum of rapid and healthy development, which demonstrated their neighborly relations, Jia said.

China and Kazakhstan have witnessed a continuous boosting of mutual political trust, the broadening of practical cooperation, an increase in people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and effective coordination on international affairs, the Chinese leader said, noting that the two have solved their border dispute as well.

From the signing of the Sino-Kazakh Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 2002, to the establishment of a bilateral strategic partnership in 2005, to the issuing in 2006 of The Cooperation Strategy between China and Kazakhstan for the 21st Century, relations between China and Kazakhstan have constantly reached new levels, Jia said.

Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to Kazakhstan in June and the important consensus he reached with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on further developing the Sino-Kazakh strategic partnership have given new impetus to bilateral relations, Jia said.

Achieve peaceful development, neighborly relations

During his speech, Jia also said that China will continue its reach for peaceful development and pledged China's efforts to boost friendliness with its neighbors.

"China will keep to the path of peaceful development and actively participate in international cooperation," he said.

China poses no threat to anyone, nor does it hurt anyone's interests, Jia said. The allegation, he said, that a country is bound to seek hegemony once it grows strong will never apply to China.

"China has been pursuing peace, development and win-win results through cooperation," Jia said, "It strives for a peaceful international environment for its own development. Similarly, it promotes world peace through its own development."

Meanwhile, China will continue its policy of good neighborliness and also make itself a close friend and strong partner for all of its neighboring countries, Jia said.

China's policy of good neighborliness is an inevitable option based on its historical and cultural tradition. Since ancient times, Chinese thinkers have stressed the importance of good ties with all neighbors and advocated friendship and peaceful coexistence among them, Jia said.