Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his Uzbekistan counterpart Sodik Safaev held talks in Beijing Wednesday, exchanging views on regional and international affairs of common concern.

Li said relations between China and Uzbekistan developed comprehensively over the past 12 years, and leaders of the two nations have kept close contact and their mutual understanding and trust have deepened.

The two sides have made great progress in politics, trade and economy, transportation, security and other fields, and support each other in major issues of common concern, he said.

The two sides cooperated actively in the attack of the "three forces" (forces of terrorism, extremism and separatism) and coordinated closely in regional and international affairs within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, he said.

The Chinese government attached great importance to developing relations with Uzbekistan, he said, noting that sustainable and stable friendly cooperative relations between the two sides was inline with the basic interests of the two nations and the two peoples, and conducive to the peace, stability and development of the region.

China is willing to keep deepening friendship with Uzbekistan, promote cooperation and mutual trust, and lift the bilateral relations to a higher level, he said.

Safaev said Uzbekistan regards China as a friendly neighbor and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in a bilateral and multilateral framework, and hopes the two sides continue to maintain close cooperation and exchanges and promote the bilateral relations to a higher level.

Uzbekistan fully understands and firmly supports China's stand on the Taiwan issue and the Tibet issue, and will continue to adhere to the one-China policy, he said.

Uzbekistan speaks highly of the two nations' cooperation in the attack of the "three forces" and the maintaining regional stability, and is willing to make joint efforts with China to promote the continuous development of the friendly bilateral relations and the mutually-beneficial cooperation, Safaev said.

After the talks, Li and Safaev signed an agreement concerning the cooperation and consultation between the foreign ministries of the two sides.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2004)