Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov meets with visiting Vice Premier of the State Council Wu Yi in Ashgabat.

On July 20, 2005, Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov met with visiting Vice Premier of the State Council Wu Yi in Ashgabat. Both sides spoke highly of the sound development of China-Turkmenistan relations and indicated the willingness to further their mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.

Niyazov said Turkmenistan appreciates China's long-term support and assistance. It will continue to uphold the one-China policy, support China's reunification, and would like to maintain mutual support and coordination with China in international affairs. He said his country would like to enhance exchanges and cooperation with China in such areas as economy, trade, energy and infrastructure. He said he met with President Hu Jintao in Moscow last May and reached considerable important consensus with him on deepening bilateral cooperation. Turkmenistan gives top priority to the results of the meeting and will make active efforts to implement them.

Wu said China is appreciated to Turkmenistan for its consistent support for China's stance on the Taiwan question and satisfied with bilateral cooperation in fighting against the "three forces", namely, terrorism, separatism and extremism. China will, as always, respect the social system and development path chosen by Turkmenistan in light of its own national realities, support the neutral policy upheld by Turkmenistan and support the United Nations to set up the Regional Center of Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia in Turkmenistan.

Wu stressed China-Turkmenistan economic and trade cooperation enjoys huge potential. The two sides need to look into the future, implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state, and take active and effective measures to explore new areas of cooperation in addition to key cooperative projects in the telecom sector, railroad equipment and silk business in an effort to realize complimentary advantages and mutual benefits.