Central Asian leaders yesterday arrived in Beijing to attend a meeting of members of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization.

The visitors include Tajikistan's Prime Minister Akil Akilov, Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev and Uzbek Prime Minister Utkur Sultanov.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov will arrive early this morning for the talks, according to Foreign Ministry sources.

Premier Wen Jiabao and the five prime ministers will meet at the Beijing Hotel this morning. They will discuss improvements to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and regional economic cooperation, according to Li Hui, director of the Foreign Ministry's Europe and Central Asia division. The Russian and Central Asian leaders will then meet with President Hu Jintao this afternoon.

The third summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, held in Moscow in May, was a turning point, marking the end of its establishment phase. Member countries are now focusing on a new, pragmatic development phase for the organization, Li said.

Li said there would be two items on the agenda: the institutionalization of the group's structure, and a discussion on regional economic cooperation.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded on June 15, 2001. The prime ministers of its member countries first met for talks in Kazakhstan's Alma-Ata in September 2001.

After today's meeting, Russian Prime Minister Kasyanov will continue his visit to China, staying until Thursday. Wen and Kasyanov will hold the eighth meeting between prime ministers of the two countries.

The two will evaluate Sino-Russian relations and plan further joint projects, including co-operation on energy resources, according to Foreign Ministry sources.

The regular meetings between the heads of the Chinese and Russian governments were set up at the end of 1996.

(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2003)