Wen calls for closer China-Kazakhstan co-op

URUMQI -- Premier Wen Jiabao met with Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Karim Massimov on Sunday, calling for closer cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

Wen made the appeal during the meeting at the second China-Euroasia Expo in Urumqi of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, saying the two sides have positively implemented agreements reached during the prime ministers' regular meetings and made important progress in cooperation.

He called for the two sides to step up the mid-and-long term plan for bilateral economic and trade cooperation as well as the outline for cooperation in neighboring areas, speed up the construction of customs posts on both sides of the border and strengthen cooperation in areas including energy, agriculture, finance and infrastructure so as to inject vigor to China-Kazakhstan relations.

"China is the founding member of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and actively participates in the programs. China will work with Kazakhstan to contribute to the healthy and stable development of the CICA," he added.

Massimov said Kazakhstan and China are good partners with mutual trust.

He said Kazakhstan is willing to enhance high-level contacts with China, strengthen guidance for bilateral cooperation, create new patterns for cooperation and upgrade its scale and level.