Hu Jintao holds talks with Uzbek President

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday held talks with Uzbek President Islam Karimov in Beijing.

Calling Karimov an old friend, Hu welcomed his visit and his attendance to the Beijing summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Hu said, Karimov's visit, on the historical occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties, will surely inject new impetus to the development of bilateral relations.

Karimov thanked China for warm reception and expressed his pleasure for this visit.

He said the two countries have forged sound cooperative relations on the basis of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Karimov arrived in Beijing on Tuesday evening to visit China and attend the SCO summit.