Enhancing potential

President Xi Jinping hailed the relationship between China and Turkmenistan as “having tremendous potential for development” and “enjoying broad prospects”, and said that China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to constantly promote bilateral ties and deliver more benefits to the two peoples.

Xi made the remarks on May 18 during a meeting with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in Xi’an, Shaanxi province.

Since the two countries established diplomatic ties 31 years ago, they have developed friendly cooperation while adhering to the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results, he said.

Xi emphasized that China firmly supports Turkmenistan in upholding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and also backs it in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions.

He called for comprehensively enhancing bilateral cooperation. China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to strengthen collaboration in the fields of economy and trade, natural gas and mutual connectivity, as well as to promote high-tech cooperation in the fields of communication and aerospace, he said.

Noting that China and Central Asian countries are a community with a shared future, Xi said that China looks forward to working with the five nations and realize fruitful results from the summit.

Berdimuhamedov lauded the development of bilateral ties, saying the countries’ relations are based on mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and win-win results.

Turkmenistan attaches great importance to developing comprehensive strategic partnership with China, and it is ready to advance the alignment of its strategy to revive the Great Silk Road with the Belt and Road Initiative, and deepen cooperation in the key fields of energy and innovation, the Turkmen president said.

He said that the China-Central Asia mechanism will provide new opportunities to deepen friendship and cooperation between the two sides, and have great relevance to global development.