Xi suggests China, C. Asia build Silk Road economic belt

[Shah-i-Kot]

ASTANA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed here Saturday that China and Central Asia join hands to build a Silk Road economic belt to boost cooperation.

In a speech delivered at Nazarbayev University, Xi suggested that relevant countries enhance communication and green-light regional economic integration in terms of both policy and law.

He proposed that China and Central Asian countries compare notes on their respective economic development strategy and work together to formulate plans and measures for regional cooperation.

Xi also said that they should work to improve traffic connectivity so as to open the strategic regional thoroughfare from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea, and gradually move toward the set-up of a network of transportation that connects Eastern, Western and Southern Asia.

On the topic of trade, Xi said all parties should explore ways to facilitate trade and investment, and make proper arrangements.

The Chinese president also urged the regional members to promote local-currency settlement so as to improve their immunity to financial risks and their global competitiveness.

Calling for strengthening friendly people-to-people exchanges, Xi proposed that mutual understanding and traditional friendship be promoted among the countries in the region.

The Silk Road boasts a 3-billion population and a market that is unparalleled both in scale and potential, said Xi, urging relevant parties to facilitate trade and investment and remove barriers.

The Chinese president also said that China respects the development paths and policies chosen by the peoples of regional countries, and will never interfere in the domestic affairs of Central Asian nations.

China will never seek a dominant role in regional affairs, nor try to nurture a sphere of influence, he added, saying that China and Central Asian nations should be genuine friends of mutual support and trust.

He also called on all sides to support each other on issues concerning sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and other core interests, and jointly crack down on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism, as well as drug-trafficking and transnational organized crimes.

While answering a student's question on environmental protection during the Q&A session, the Chinese president said China shall always highlight the importance of environmental conservation, and will not seek economic progress at the cost of destroying the environment.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who accompanied Xi to the university, told the audience in his remarks that Kazakhstan and China are good neighbors, friends and partners.

He believed that Xi's visit will greatly promote bilateral cooperation of mutual benefit and will take Kazakhstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership to new levels.

Nazarbayev also agreed with Xi on building the Silk Road economic belt, and would like to work with China to enhance economic cooperation, traffic connectivity, as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

President Xi arrived in Astana on Friday for a state visit to Kazakhstan after attending a Group of 20 (G20) summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

After his Kazakhstan trip, Xi is also scheduled to pay state visits to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Before the G20 summit, he visited Turkmenistan.

He will attend the 13th meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Kyrgyzstan.

（Editor：DuMingming、Zhang Qian）

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90883/8393079.html

[Shah-i-Kot]

Energy is priority, leaders agree



By Wu Jiao in Tashkent and Li Xiaokun in Beijing (China Daily)

Uzbekistan, China deepen strategic ties in free trade, oil, anti-terrorism
China and Uzbekistan pledged on Monday to deepen cooperation on energy and anti-terrorism, as President Xi Jinping continued his first visit to China's important Central Asian partner.
Diplomats said the two nations' relations, which have seen "explosive" growth since they established a strategic partnership in 2012, are based on the deep trust between the nations, and especially the leaders, which began two decades ago.
In a joint declaration after talks with Uzbek President Islam Karimov, the two nations vowed to expand energy cooperation, including in oil, natural gas, natural uranium exploration and renewable sources. A gas pipeline already links the two countries.
"Energy is the priority of bilateral cooperation," Karimov said in the meeting, according to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry.
The two countries also announced they will strengthen cooperation in combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, called "the three evil forces" in China.
The two sides also promised to further help each other safeguard large international activities held by each other.
Zhang Xiao, the Chinese ambassador to Uzbekistan, said ahead of the visit that the two countries have effectively cooperated to fight the "three evil forces" and ensure security at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai Expo.
The two countries, both of which border Afghanistan, also said in the declaration that they have "all along paid great attention to the situation in Afghanistan and its future".
"The two nations ... object to outside forces interfering in any way in the domestic affairs of Central Asian countries and undermining stability" in the region, the joint declaration said.
The two presidents said at their meeting that the two nations support the peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction process in Afghanistan.
Xi also suggested the two nations start negotiations on their free trade area at an early date.
"High-level mutual trust is the unique advantage of China-Uzbekistan relations," Xi said.
He said that Uzbekistan, "located in the center of geopolitics in Central Asia", has been linked to China by the Silk Road since ancient times.
Karimov told Xi on Monday that China has been sincere in assisting with Uzbekistan's development, "never exerting pressure on Uzbekistan and never attaching political conditions". Facts have proved that China is a "great neighbor and trustworthy partner", he said.
The state heads also signed a treaty of friendly cooperation to form principles and the direction of development of bilateral ties.
They also witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in sectors like trade, energy and investment.
Xi told reporters after the signing ceremony that the two nations will be "comprehensive strategic partners for generations".
Zhang Xiao, the ambassador, said frequent high-level visits between the two nations in recent years reflect their intimacy.
Then-president Hu Jintao visited Uzbekistan in 2010, while Karimov visited China in 2011 and 2012.
According to official figures, two-way trade volume reached $2.88 billion in 2012, a year-on-year surge of 32.8 percent. That made China Uzbekistan's second-largest trading partner.
Again, trade in the first seven months this year reached $2.54 billion, 60 percent higher than the corresponding period of the last year. The two presidents on Monday set the expected trade volume in 2017 at $5 billion.
Gao Yusheng, former Chinese ambassador to Uzbekistan, said Karimov visited China in 1992, right after his country attained independence. The trip made him the first state head of a former Soviet republic to visit China.
"That laid a good foundation for bilateral ties," Gao said.
Though this is the first time Xi has visited the Central Asian country, Gao said Xi has met Karimov many times before and established "close personal relations".
Gao said an important feature of the ties is the "deep mutual trust between the two nations, and especially the leaders".
That has guaranteed the smooth development of the ties and enabled the two sides to have "in-depth communication and reach in-depth consensus" on issues of common concern, he said. Their efficient cooperation on fighting the three evil forces is a testimony to that, he said.
Contact the writer at wujiao@chinadaily.com.cn

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2013-09/10/content_16957455.htm

[khushal]

the perm American bases are there to prevent that.