OREANDA-NEWS. December 31, 2009. Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Uzbek President Islam Karimov to exchange views on bilateral relations and other issues of common concern, and both leaders agreed to push forward bilateral ties.

Hu is in Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan, for a working visit at the invitation of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Xinhua reported.

As guests of Berdymukhamedov, Hu, Karimov and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev will attend a ceremony to inaugurate the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline on 14 December.

In the meeting with his Uzbek counterpart, Hu said the relationship between China and Uzbekistan has been developing consistently and stably in an all-round manner. High-level contacts are frequent, political trust has been intensified and cooperative projects in many fields have yielded remarkable results.

Both nations have been mutually supportive on issues concerning each other's core interests, and both have sustained communication and collaboration in international and regional affairs, Hu said.

China has always attached great importance to developing its ties with Uzbekistan, which is seen as an important partner in central Asia, Hu said, and it is China's firm policy to safeguard and develop its relations with Uzbekistan.

China is willing to work with Uzbekistan to further high-level exchanges, deepen practical cooperation, and ensure the sound and stable development of the friendly cooperative partnership, Hu said.

On the gas transportation project, Hu said the Chinese side is ready to work together with Uzbekistan and to ensure a safe and smooth operation of the pipeline, and implement the agreements concerning the expansion of bilateral cooperation in gas and petrol fields.