Special report: SCO Summit 2006
Related story: Kazakh president stresses SCO role in fighting "three evil forces"

    ALMA ATA, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan-China relations and the two countries' cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are in a very good shape, said Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

    In an interview with Chinese media ahead of the June 15 summit of the SCO, Nazarbayev said relations with China have made great headway, including the signing of a good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation in 2002, the thorough settlement of border issues, and the advancements in economic and cultural cooperation.

    The bilateral trade volume last year reached 6 billion U.S. dollars, he added, expressing the hope to raise the trade volume to 10 billion dollars.

    The president also highlighted the two countries' cooperation within the framework of SCO, saying their active cooperation covers all the priorities of the bilateral ties.

    "Economic cooperation is becoming the driving force of an all-around development of Kazakh-Chinese relations," said Nazarbayev.

    The 1,000-km Atasu-Alataw Pass oil pipeline has started to carry oil to China and the two sides are discussing a crossborder natural gas pipeline, the president said, adding that the two sides are also studying the feasibility of setting up oil and gas joint ventures in Kazakhstan.

    Meanwhile, the president introduced achievements made in his country, mentioning the country's 9-10 percent economic growth rate and the over 40 billion dollars of foreign investments.

    Founded in Shanghai in 2001, the SCO also comprises Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with Mongolia, Iran, Pakistan and India as observers. Enditem