President Xi meets Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday met with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

Xi said China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unleash the potential of cooperation based on mutual respect and win-win principles, comprehensively expand the depth, breadth and scale of bilateral cooperation, and promote the building of a China-Turkmenistan community with a shared future.

He urged the two sides to expand natural gas cooperation, explore collaboration in non-resource sectors, optimize trade structure and enhance regional connectivity.

Xi also called for accelerating the establishment of cultural centers in each other's countries and strengthening people-to-people exchanges.

China supports Turkmenistan's accession to the World Trade Organization, Xi said, adding that China is glad to see Turkmenistan, as a permanently neutral state, play a more constructive role in international affairs.

China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Turkmenistan in international and regional affairs, and jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system and the common interests of the Global South, Xi noted.

Berdimuhamedov said he was glad to meet President Xi at the second China-Central Asia Summit and believes the summit will not only promote cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, but also boost bilateral cooperation between China and Turkmenistan.

The comprehensive and in-depth development of China-Turkmenistan relations is of great strategic significance, he said, adding that Turkmenistan is willing to comprehensively expand cooperation with China, strengthen coordination on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, and uphold international fairness and justice.