China and Turkmenistan should expand the scale of cooperation in the natural gas sector, and elevate trade and investment levels, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in Beijing on Wednesday.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting with National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, adding that the two sides should expand cooperation in non-resource fields, including connectivity, agriculture, artificial intelligence, digital economy and clean energy.

At the beginning of the Year of the Horse, China is ready to work with Turkmenistan to share development opportunities and promote the building of a deeper and more practical China-Turkmenistan community with a shared future, Xi said.

No matter how the international situation changes, China will always support Turkmenistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in pursuing the policy of permanent neutrality, he said, adding that China will always be a trustworthy partner of Turkmenistan.

Xi expressed China's readiness to work with Turkmenistan to firmly uphold the status and authority of the United Nations, practice true multilateralism and take the lead in the reform of global governance with the principles of fairness, justice, openness and inclusiveness.

(With input from Xinhua)