China and Uzbekistan have agreed to make a more coordinated effort to fight terrorism, separatism and extremism in the region.

The two nations agreed that terrorism, separatism and extremism are still the main threats to regional security and stability, according to a joint statement signed Wednesday by visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov in Tashkent after their talks.

China and Uzbekistan pledged to step up coordination and cooperation between related government departments of the two countries and continue to adopt effective measures to jointly fight all forms of terrorism, including the "Eastern Turkistan" terrorist forces, in a bid to maintain peace and tranquility in the two countries and in the region, the statement said.

The two sides agreed that the combat against the terrorist force of "East Turkistan" is an important part of the international anti-terrorism efforts.

The two nations believed that it is necessary to take more coordinated steps to keep fighting various forms of religious extremism that has posed practical threats to regional security and stability.

China and Uzbekistan promised to exchange information in a timely manner within bilateral frameworks and strengthen coordination between related government departments to ensure the security of the Shanghai Expo and Guangzhou Asian Games in China.

They also agreed to continue to boost cooperation in their fight against the illegal trafficking of narcotic and psychotropic drugs.

The Chinese president on Wednesday started a state visit to Uzbekistan, where he met with Karimov and will also attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday.

Hu will also pay a state visit to Kazakhstan.