China to enhance anti-terrorism co-op with Kyrgyzstan: Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, Sept. 12, 2014. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambaev here on Friday, calling for enhanced cooperation with the Central Asian country on border control and anti-terrorism.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan.

China is willing to establish with the Kyrgyz side an inter-departmental meeting mechanism and a rapid response mechanism in a bid to jointly fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, said Xi.

China and Kyrgyzstan are good neighbors, friends and partners that are sincere and mutually trustworthy, said Xi, adding that China is willing to work with Kyrgyzstan to develop traditional friendship, expand mutually beneficial cooperation so as to infuse vigor and vitality into their strategic partnership.

He said China resolutely opposes interference in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries by any country under any excuses, and supports the Kyrgyz people's independent choice of development path.

The Chinese president voiced his support for the formulation of a China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation plan for the next decade and called on the two sides to push forward bilateral cooperation under the guidance of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.

China will continue to encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Kyrgyzstan, which will help promote local economic development and improve people's livelihood, he said.

In the meantime, China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Kyrgyzstan within the SCO framework, so as to jointly push forward the development of the organization, said the president.

For his part, Atambaev said he fully agrees with Xi's proposals on bilateral cooperation.

The "three evil forces" are the common threat faced by both countries, he said, adding that Kyrgyzstan firmly supports China's fighting against the "Eastern Turkistan" terrorist forces and will continue to enhance coordination with China in this regard.

Atambaev said his country hopes for China's continued support for its domestic construction and active participation in the construction of its railways, highways and power projects.

Kyrgyzstan appreciates China's neighborhood diplomacy that features good-neighborly relationship and friendship, and is willing to boost cooperation with China within the SCO framework, he said.