Xi says China willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unlock potential for cooperation based on win-win collaboration

ASTANA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unlock the potential for cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and win-win collaboration.

Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

Noting that China and Turkmenistan enjoy solid political mutual trust, a strong willingness for cooperation and highly complementary advantages, Xi said that China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to further increase the depth, breadth and scale of bilateral cooperation and to advance the building of a China-Turkmenistan community with a shared future.

Xi said that both sides should effectively implement the strategic alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and Turkmenistan's development strategy to revive the Great Silk Road. He urged the two countries to scale up natural gas cooperation, expand cooperation in non-resource fields, optimize trade structure and enhance regional connectivity.

On the basis of holding cultural years in each other's countries, the two sides should organize more people-to-people exchange events, accelerate the establishment of cultural centers in each other's countries and promote people-to-people connectivity, Xi said, calling for stronger cooperation between the two countries in law enforcement, security and defense, joint efforts to combat terrorism, extremism and separatism, and a higher level of cooperation in cybersecurity.

Xi noted that China, remaining committed to fostering an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood while adhering to the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, takes high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as the main platform to work with neighboring countries, including Turkmenistan, to build a better future.

China supports Turkmenistan's accession to the World Trade Organization, its successful hosting of the 5th Foreign Ministers' Meeting of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries, and is glad to see Turkmenistan, as a permanently neutral country, play a greater constructive role in international affairs, said Xi.

Xi said China stands ready to enhance coordination and cooperation with Turkmenistan on international and regional issues, jointly defend the multilateral trading system, and safeguard the common interests of the Global South.

For his part, Berdimuhamedov said that he was very glad to meet with President Xi on the sidelines of the China-Central Asia Summit, expressing confidence that the summit would not only promote cooperation between Central Asian countries and China, but also enhance bilateral cooperation between Turkmenistan and China.

The all-round and in-depth development of Turkmenistan-China relations is of great strategic significance, he said, noting that Turkmenistan is willing to comprehensively expand cooperation with China, expand natural gas exports to China, deepen cooperation in non-resource sectors such as machinery manufacturing and textiles, and enhance connectivity.

The Turkmen side is also willing to enhance people-to-people exchanges in such fields as education and culture, deepen law enforcement and security cooperation, and reinforce coordination with China within multilateral platforms, including the United Nations, to jointly uphold international fairness and justice, he said. ■