BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao returned to Beijing on Tuesday after wrapping up his Central Asia visit to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

    During his visits, Hu met with the presidents of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

    High on the agenda, Hu, together with his three counterparts, attended an inauguration ceremony for the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline near the Turkmen-Uzbek border.

    The following are some quotable quotes made during the trip:

　　ON JOINT GAS PIPELINE PROJECT

    "The China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline was the result of painstaking efforts by workers of our four countries." -- Hu

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

    "The China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline is a model of sincere solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation of China, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan." -- Hu

    "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." -- Turmen President Gurbanguly 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 the 'Silk Road'." -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev

　　ON ENHANCING CULTURAL EXCHANGES

    "I wish these books (donated by China to the National Library of Turkmenistan) could serve as a bridge connecting the two peoples of China and Turkmenistan." -- Hu

    "I believe these books will help people in Turkmenistan understand China better." -- Berdymukhamedov

    "President Nazarbayev said he is interested in learning Chinese. He set an excellent example for the students who are learning the language." -- a teacher at the Confucius Institute in Kazakhstan.

 Special report: President Hu visits Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan