Cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan is expected to leap forward in the coming decade.

The two countries plan to work together in such fields as trade, communications, energy and mining in the next ten years, said visiting Premier Wen Jiabao during talks with Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev Wednesday.

Wen is the first Chinese premier to visit Kyrgyzstan since Premier Li Peng's visit?in 1994.

Wen said the China-Kyrgyzstan Good Neighbourly Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation, signed in 2002, and the settlement of border issues paved the way for more political trust.

Akayev said establishing and developing friendly and cooperative relations with China was his country's most significant achievement since it declared independence.

In a joint statement signed by Wen and Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev on Tuesday and released Wednesday, the two countries pledged to fully tap potential areas of cooperation such as politics, economy, trade, security and culture.

The two prime ministers also signed a compendium on cooperation priorities and programs for the next ten years.

Noting that economic and trade collaboration spearheads bilateral relations, Akayev said the compendium will effectively enhance such ties.

The priorities include maintaining a constant and steady growth in trade and joint efforts on economic and technological projects.

Trade reached US$314 million last year and US$307 million in the first eight months of this year.

China and Kyrgyzstan will also work together in communications, ports, energy, agriculture, food processing, aviation, textile, science and technology, telecommunications and finance.

To that end, both countries will use joint committees on trade and economy and other cooperative mechanisms.

Both countries will move to facilitate trade, investment and other business activities and take effective measures to ensure people's personal and property safety.

At the same time, border trade will be encouraged and a consultation mechanism to promote cooperation in the border region will be created.

China and Kyrgyzstan agreed to facilitate railway, aviation and highway links and in particular renovate and open the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekstan transnational highway as soon as possible.

They will further implement a framework agreement on energy cooperation signed in 2002 and encourage Chinese enterprises to participate in the construction of oil, electricity and mineral resource projects in Kyrgyzstan.

Akayev said Kyrgyzstan will firmly adhere to the one-China policy.

The joint statement says Kyrgyzstan opposes any attempt to make "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan," "Taiwan independence," or Taiwan joining any international and regional organization open only to sovereign countries. It says Kyrgyzstan will not establish official relationship with Taiwan.

At the same time, China and Kyrgyzstan will work together to crack down on terrorism, separatism and extremism including East Turkistan groups. Both agreed the fight against the forces in East Turkistan is an important component of the international anti-terrorism drive.

Wen Wednesday also met with Abdygany Erkebayevich Erkebayev, speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan and Altay Borubayev, speaker of the Assembly of People's Representative of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan.

In addition, he held separate meetings with Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov, Tajik Prime Minister Akil Akilov and Uzbek Prime Minister Utkur Sultanov Wednesday afternoon.

The third meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization among prime ministers from the member states will be held today.

(China Daily September 23, 2004)