Wen’s coming foreign trips a major diplomatic action: Official

BEIJING—Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s upcoming visits to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus and Russia will be China’s major diplomatic move in the Eurasian region, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui said here Monday.
Wen will attend the sixth Meeting of Prime Ministers of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent from Nov. 2 to 6, and pay official visits to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus and Russia. Li said Wen’s visits will be significant for implementing consensus and agreements reached at the SCO summit held in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, last August.
The visits will also play an important role in building up political trust between China and the above four countries and contributing to the region’s peace and stability, Li told reporters at a press conference on Wen’s coming foreign trips.
The SCO prime ministers’ meeting will focus on the implementation of The Treaty on Long-term Good-neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, the consensus reached at the Bishkek summit, and realization of economic and cultural cooperation, Li said. “Wen’s visit is significant for improving pragmatic cooperation within the SCO framework, deepening friendly relations between China and other SCO members and realizing common development, harmony and prosperity in the region,” Li said.
Prime ministers from four SCO observer nations and representatives from Afghanistan and Turkmenistan will also attend the meeting, Li said.
“Wen will bring forward China’s new proposals to deepen regional cooperation within the SCO during the meeting, and the prime ministers will sign a series of agreements on the organization’s construction and development,” Li said.
He said the prime ministers will issue a joint communique and the SCO members will also sign other documents including an agreement on customs cooperation. The SCO, a regional organization founded in June 2001, now comprises China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, with Pakistan, Mongolia, Iran and India holding observer status.
The premier’s visits to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Belarus coincide with the 15th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the three countries, Li said.
During his visit to Russia, Wen will attend the 12th regular meeting between the prime ministers of China and Russia, and the closing ceremony of the “Year of China” in Russia.
Wen will have candid exchange of views with Russian leaders on major international and regional issues of common concern, Li said. “The stable and fast development of Chinese-Russian relations will benefit the people of the two countries and contribute to world peace and stability,” Li said. “I am confident that the meeting (with Russian leaders) will be friendly, pragmatic and fruitful,” he added.—Xinhua