Uzbekistan, Tashkent, March 19 / Trend D.Azizov /
Uzbek President Islam Karimov received Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie on Friday, the UzA national news agency reported.
A Chinese delegation headed by Guanglie arrived in the country upon Uzbek Defense Minister, Major-General Kabul Berdiev's invitation.
During the meeting, Karimov said the Uzbekistan-China cooperation has developed speedily in economic, political and military fields. President Hu Jinato's visit last year injected even greater impetus to such development, he said.
"We view China as a reliable partner. China is the second country in the world for its economic potential. We regard your visit to Uzbekistan as a vivid manifestation of the strengthening of cooperation between the defense ministries of our countries," Karimov said.
Uzbekistan unswervingly upholds the One-China policy and staunchly supports China's efforts against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism, Karimov said. Uzbekistan will continue to work with China in broadening cooperative fields, diversifying collaborative projects and maintaining regional stability, he added.
The sides exchanged views on the status and prospects of the bilateral cooperation in political, military and military-technical spheres.
They stressed the importance of further improving the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as well as long-term cooperation in economy, trade, investment, transport and communication sectors.
The Chinese delegation also met with Berdiev. The defense ministers discussed the further development of the two countries' military relations, enhance of the regional security and exchange of experiences and information.
The delegation visited the Tashkent Higher Military Command School, familiarized with the work to strengthen its logistics and process of training young cadets.