Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Friday that strengthening cooperation between China and Tajikistan conforms to the fundamental interests of both sides and is also conducive to regional peace, stability and development.

China is ready to work with Tajikistan to fully implement the important consensus reached by their leaders and all agreements between the two countries, Yang said while meeting with his Tajik counterpart Khamrokhon Zarifi.

Yang also said China will maintain high-level exchanges with Tajikistan, promote mutual political trust, boost cooperation in such fields as trade, economy and infrastructure, and conduct close coordination in international and regional affairs.

China is ready to strengthen communications and coordination with Tajikistan within the bilateral framework as well as multilateral frameworks like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO), in their joint fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and safeguard peace in the two countries and the region at large, said Yang, who was here to attend an SCO foreign ministers' meeting.

For his part, Zarifi said Tajikistan attaches great importance to its relations with China.

Tajikistan is willing to work with China to strengthen high-level exchanges and continue to support each other in major issues concerning sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, he said.

Zarifi said Tajikistan will promote cooperation with China in the fields of trade, economy and transport.

He expressed welcome for the establishment of a Confucius institute in his country.

The two sides also agreed to boost the healthy, smooth development of the SCO and cooperate closely to ensure the success of an SCO summit next month in Dushanbe.

The SCO, founded in 2001, groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The heads of state of the six member countries will gather in Dushanbe on Aug. 28 for a summit.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2008)