Hu vows to strengthen Chinese, Uzbek relations

The presidents of China and Uzbekistan have agreed to enhance the links between their two countries at a meeting in the capital of Turkmenistan, state-media reported. President Islam Karimov and China’s Hu Jintao had been invited to Turkmenistan by president Gurbanguly Bedymukhamedov to attend the inauguration ceremony of the China-Central Asia gas pipeline. Hu said that China and Uzbekistan were both keen to ensure the smooth operation of the pipeline, as well as continue to cooperate over access to gas and oil fields in Central Asia. The pipeline, which is 1,833 kilometers long, crosses Uzbekistan and Kazakstan before entering China’s Xinjiang region.