Top security official in Central Asia to sign cooperation agreements

Zhou Yongkang, China's top security official, arrived in Turkmenistan Sunday to help strengthen cooperation after reportedly signing agreements on security and economic cooperation with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.

"China and Turkmenistan are good friends and partners. I am looking forward to expanding our bilateral cooperation, which is mutually beneficial," Zhou said in a written statement released upon his arrival, Xinhua reported Monday.

Zhou, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, arrived in Ashgabat late Saturday night after his four-hour surprise visit to Afghanistan.

In talks with the Afghan president, Zhou said terrorism, drug trafficking and international crimes have seriously threatened regional security, and China resolutely supports Afghan anti-terrorism efforts.

China is willing to help Afghanistan in strengthening its security capabilities, and cooperate in fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism, especially the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, Zhou said.

Zhou signed various agreements, including a deal to help "train, fund and equip Afghan police," Reuters reported.

Under the agreements, around 300 Afghan police officers will be sent to China for training over the next four years, an Afghan foreign ministry official was quoted by the BBC as saying.

Afghanistan's police force is currently trained by the NATO-led coalition.

"The main purpose of Zhou's visit might concern regional security, which is crucial for the stability in China's Xinjiang and Tibet regions," Pan Zhiping, director of the Institute of Central Asia Studies, Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

China has to cooperate with neighboring countries to crack down on separatists and terrorists who are closely linked with other terrorists in this region, he said.

NATO plans to hand over security responsibilities to Afghan forces in 2013.

"The Afghanistan forces are still too weak to handle the security situation alone, given the limited administrative power of the government and the existence of the Taliban and terrorist forces," said Pan, noting that Beijing can cooperate with Kabul on both economy and regional security.

Afghanistan would like China to be involved in its reconstruction efforts and is expecting China to play a bigger role in the peaceful development of Afghanistan and the region, Karzai said during his meeting with Zhou.

The last visit by a Chinese leader to neighboring Afghanistan was made by the then Chinese President Liu Shaoqi in 1966.

Turkmenistan is the last leg of Zhou's tour, which also took him to Singapore.