President Jiang Zemin met a group of journalists from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at Shanghai's Xijiao Guesthouse Thursday morning.

Jiang welcomed the journalists who came to China to cover the summit of the heads of states of the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Jiang said during the meeting that the development of the " Shanghai Five" mechanism, which was established five years ago, has not only enhanced cooperation among the member states but also promoted peace and stability of the region and the world at large.

In the coming two days, with Uzbekistan joining in the " Shanghai Five" mechanism, presidents of all the member states will gather in the birthplace of "Shanghai Five" to review and sum up its experiences in the past five years and make significant strategic decision for its future development, Jiang said.

The summit, which inherits the past and ushers in a new era, will unveil a new chapter in the development of the "Shanghai Five" mechanism, he said, expecting a full success of the summit with concerted efforts by all sides of the meeting.

The president described the bilateral cooperation between China and other member states as thriving. He expressed his confidence in that the cooperation under the framework of "Shanghai Five" will further enhance the good-neighborly and friendly relations between China and the other countries.

Jiang also briefed the journalists on China's social and economic enhancement in recent years during the meeting.

The journalists came to China at the invitation of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Deguang attended the meeting.

(xinhua 06/14/2001)