Chinese President Jiang Zemin said Monday in Beijing that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has progressed well in organizational and legal construction.

Jiang made the remarks in his talks with visiting Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev.

China was ready to close its cooperation with Kyrgyzstan in accordance with the framework of the SCO for safeguarding regional peace, security, stability and development, he said.

The SCO, whose members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, was officially founded in Shanghai in 2001. The SCO has just held its second summit meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Akayev described the SCO as "an effective mechanism" for protecting regional peace and security, saying that Kyrgyzstan attached importance to its cooperation with China within the organization.

The two leaders also exchanged views on fighting terrorism, extremism and separatism, the situation in central Asia and Afghanistan and other issues of common concern.

Four-point Proposal for Sino-Kyrgyzstan Ties

President Jiang also made a four-point proposal for boosting the development of Sino-Kyrgyzstan relations.

Jiang called on the two governments to maintain high-level contacts and dialogue, enhance mutual trust, and deepen friendship so as to create a good political atmosphere and conditions for the growth of bilateral ties.

He urged the two countries to promote cooperation between public security, security, defence and other law enforcement departments, and set up stable cooperative mechanisms for safeguarding security and stability in the two countries and the whole region.

Jiang said that the two countries could also take advantage of geographical vicinity to tap the potential in economic cooperationand raise economic cooperation and trade to a new level.

He proposed that the two countries expand and deepen exchanges and cooperation in cultural, educational, sports and other areas so as to form a solid foundation of bilateral friendship for future generations.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Kyrgyzstan. Akayev commended the growth and consolidation of bilateral ties over the past decade and said the two countries had laid a foundation for future development on the basis of mutual trust and equality.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2002)