TASHKENT, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice
Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday called for closer economic ties between China and
Uzbekistan while meeting with Uzbek First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov.
Li said China and Uzbekistan have deepened their
pragmatic cooperation and achieved a lot in this regard in recent years.
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Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (R)
meets with Uzbekistan First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on June 27, 2009. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
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Besides growing trade, bilateral cooperation in areas
like investment and projects outsourcing also made rapid progress, he noted,
adding the two sides have improved the quality and increased the level of
bilateral, pragmatic cooperation with joint projects being carried out in
energy, mining, transportation, agriculture, telecom, machinery, petrochemical
and other sectors.
The Chinese leader called on the two sides to
capitalize on the progress of bilateral cooperation, and take full advantage of
the fact that the two economies are highly complementary to each other and the
two countries enjoy geographical closeness.
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Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (5th L,
rear) and Uzbekistan First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov (6th L,
rear) attend the signing ceremony of cooperation agreements between the
two countries, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on June 27, 2009. (Xinhua/Li
Xueren)
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He specifically said the two countries should
continue to expand bilateral trade and two-way investment and spare no effort to
carry out major joint infrastructure projects.
Meanwhile, the two sides should enhance cooperation
in other areas and move faster on carrying out aid and loans initiatives to
achieve mutually-beneficial and steady development of both economies, he added.
On broader bilateral relations, Li said the
relationship between China and Uzbekistan has been developing smoothly as
political trust between the two sides continues to deepen and cooperation in
specific areas like economy, energy, transportation and security grows stronger
day by day.
He noted China and Uzbekistan have supported each
other on critical issues and worked closely within multilateral frameworks like
the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which has helped
both sides safeguard their common interests and has had a positive impact on
regional and world peace and stability.
Chinese President Hu Jintao met with his Uzbek
counterpart Islam Karimov during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, and
also on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
countries held in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg earlier this month.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao paid his first official
visit to Uzbekistan in November 2007 after attending a meeting of the prime
ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries held in the Uzbek
capital Tashkent.
Li said Chinese and Uzbek leaders had an in-depth
exchange of views on deepening pragmatic bilateral cooperation and reached a lot
of important agreements during their meetings.
He said the primary goal of his current visit is to
carry out specific programs of pragmatic cooperation between China and
Uzbekistan according to the consensus reached by the top leaders of the two
sides with the aim of bringing more concrete benefits to the two peoples.
On his part, Azimov said the leaders and senior
officials of Uzbekistan and China have met on a regular basis to build a solid
base for further developing bilateral relations.
He described Li's visit to the country as an
important step toward putting into practice the consensus reached by the leaders
of the two countries.
He said Uzbekistan and China have made remarkable
progress on energy cooperation in recent years, which reflects a new dimension
of bilateral economic cooperation and will benefit both economies.
The Uzbek official said his country has been closely
watching the economic development of China and would like to learn from China's
successful experience.
He also praised the measures taken by the Chinese
government to tackle the global financial crisis.
After the meeting, the two attended the signing
ceremony of 11 government or corporate bilateral agreements on cooperation in
such areas as economy, tourism and health.
Chinese vice premier arrives in
Uzbekistan for official visit
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Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (L,
front) is greeted upon his arrival at the airport of Tashkent, Uzbekistan,
on June 27, 2009. Li Keqiang arrived here Saturday for an official visit
at the invitation of the government of Uzbekistan. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
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TASHKENT, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Li
Keqiang arrived here Saturday for an official visit at the invitation of the
government of Uzbekistan.
In a written speech delivered at the airport, Li said he
was happy about his trip to Uzbekistan, which is a close neighbor of China and
shares a traditional friendship. Full story
