Chinese President Hu Jintao, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Uzbek President Islam Karimov turn on the flow of natural gas together in the gas plant on the right bank of the Amu Darya River, Turkmenistan, on Dec. 14, 2009. The four leader attended the inauguration ceremony of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline here on Monday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) Photo Gallery>>>

      ASHGABAT, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- "The China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline was the result of painstaking efforts by workers of our four countries," said Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday at a ceremony marking the inauguration of the pipeline linking Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China.

    With their hands on wheel of valves, President Hu and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Uzbek President Islam Karimov turned on the flow of natural gas together in a gas plant on the right bank of the Amu Darya river, 80 km away from the second biggest Turkmen city of Turkmenabad.

    The 1,833-km gas pipeline starts at the Turkmen-Uzbek border and runs through central Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan before reaching China's northwest region of Xinjiang.

    Three other leaders also lauded the hardworking workers and engineers, who finished the pipeline's construction in more than two years, compared with the usual six to 10 years in other regions.

    "I sincerely appreciate the devotion of those who have worked on the project, as well as the all-out support from far-sighted leaders of China, Kazakhtan and Uzbekistan and their peoples," said Turmen President Berdymukhamedov.

    "I would like to thank the workers and engineers for their great efforts that turned the wishes of our predecessors into reality with a modern version of 'Silk Road'," said Kazakh President Nazarbayev.

    "Thank the Chinese workers and engineers for their devoted work, who completed one of the greatest projects in the 21st Century in the shortest possible time," said Uzbek President Karimov.

    Describing it a carrier of goodwill for friendship and mutual benefits of the four countries, President Hu said, "The China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline is a model of sincere solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation of China, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan."

    Echoing Hu's remarks, the leaders from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan expressed the belief that the modern "Silk Road" would further enhance the friendly cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries.

    The China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), one of the major developers of the project, had committed itself to the socio-economic development of regions along the pipeline as part of the mutually beneficial and win-win energy cooperation.

    The CNPC employed 20,000 local workers, or 90 percent of the workforce involved in the project, and 60 percent of the middle-level managers were local employees.

    The CNPC, China's largest oil and gas producer, provided 7 million U.S. dollars in aid to Turkmenistan in the fields of culture, education, health and relief of the disabled.

    The Chinese company also launched a five-year scholarship program this year aimed at training 100 students for Turkmenistan.

    In Kazakhstan, the CNPC actively participated in poverty alleviation, and helped the development in agriculture, education, culture, sports and health as well as the construction of rural infrastructure and public facilities.

    In Uzbekistan, the Chinese oil giant financed the repair of dilapidated bridges, and offered aid to the disabled.

    During the construction of the pipeline, the Chinese workers made friends with their local colleagues. "Now, we can proudly tell my compatriots that we did not let them down. The pipeline opened a new chapter for the friendly cooperation in the region," said Cheng Lin, a Chinese engineer from the CNPC.

    Leaders of the four countries all spoke highly of the China-Central Asia gas pipeline, saying it would further promote the common development of the whole region.

    As President Hu put it, the four countries should apply the experience and model of this project to other fields of cooperation among them so as to expand regional economic cooperation and lay a solid foundation for institutionalizing and scaling up regional cooperation.

    "Let this pipeline bear witness to the ever-growing friendship among our four countries, and further steady development of our pragmatic cooperation," said the Chinese president.

Chinese, Turkmen, Kazakh, Uzbek presidents unveil gas pipeline

Chinese President Hu Jintao (2nd L, front), Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov (3rd L, front), Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev (1st L, front) and Uzbek President Islam Karimov (R, front) attend the inauguration ceremony of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline in the gas plant on the right bank of the Amu Darya River, Turkmenistan, on Dec. 14, 2009. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang) Photo Gallery>>>

    TURKMENABAD, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and his counterparts from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Monday jointly put into operation a natural gas pipeline linking the four nations.

    At the ceremony in a gas plant near the Turkmen-Uzbek border, President Hu said the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline is a model of sincere solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation of the four countries. He said the gas pipeline is a carrier of goodwill for friendship and mutual benefits of the four countries. Full story

Chinese president meets Turkmen, Uzbek counterparts on development of relations

    ASHGABAT, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks here on Sunday with his Turkmen and Uzbek counterparts in efforts to enhance ties and mutually beneficial cooperation with the two countries.  Full story

"Friendship pipeline" boosts cooperation with neighbors: Kazakh manager

    ALMATY, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Central Asian gas pipeline, which will go into operation next year, will boost cooperation with Kazakhstan's neighbors and bring benefits to all in the region, the general manager of the Chinese-Kazakh joint venture Asian Gas Pipeline says.

    In a recent interview with Chinese media, Beimbet Shayakhmetov said the construction of Line A of the dual pipeline has already been completed and ready for operation, while Line B is expected to begin to deliver gas in April or May next year.Full story      

Special report: President Hu visits Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan