China's top legislator proposes stronger ties between China, Central Asia

According to Xinhua, Wu, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), made the call in a keynote speech delivered at the legislative assembly of the Supreme Council of Uzbekistan during an official goodwill visit to Uzbekistan.

Wu spoke highly of China-Uzbekistan cooperation in politics and trade as well as the fight against the "three evil forces" of separatism, extremism and terrorism.

He said bilateral trade between the two countries reached 2.48 billion U.S. dollars in 2010, up 29.2 percent year-on-year.

He also said his visit to Uzbekistan, the first as China's top legislator, was aimed at "implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and lifting bilateral ties to a new level."

Meanwhile, Wu also called on China and Central Asian countries to earnestly carry out consensus reached by the countries' leaders to promote continuous development of relations.

Wu also made a three-point proposal to further boost the time-honored friendship and practical cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

Firstly, political mutual trust needed to be strengthened in an effort to raise the level of strategic cooperation, Wu said.

He said China and Central Asian countries understood each other's major concerns and firmly supported each other's core interests, which was a unique strategic advantage for their good-neighborly friendship.

Wu said China and the region should give each other stronger support, at both bilateral and multilateral levels, on major issues concerning each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security, stability and development.

For full version see http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/22/c_131154603.htm