China willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unlock potential for cooperation based on win-win collaboration: Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unlock the potential for cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and win-win collaboration.

Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

China and Turkmenistan have solid political mutual trust, a strong desire to cooperate, and great complementary strength, said Xi, adding that China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to explore the depth, the width, and the scale of bilateral cooperation, and promote the building of China-Turkmenistan community with a shared future.

Xi urged China and Turkmenistan to strengthen the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and Turkmenistan's initiative to revive the Great Silk Road, scale up natural gas cooperation, expand cooperation in non-resource fields, optimize trade structure, and improve connectivity in the region.

He also called on the two sides to hold more cultural and people-to-people exchange activities on the basis of mutually hosting cultural year activities, accelerate the establishment of cultural centers in each other's countries and promote people-to-people connectivity.

China and Turkmenistan should also strengthen cooperation on law enforcement and defense, jointly fight the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and improve the cooperation on cyber-security, Xi said.

Stressing that China is committed to fostering an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood and follows the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, Xi said that China takes the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as a platform to work with neighboring countries including Turkmenistan for a better future. 　　 Xi said that China supports Turkmenistan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its hosting of the Fifth Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries, and that China is happy to see Turkmenistan, as a permanently neutral state, play a bigger role in international affairs.

China is also ready to enhance coordination and collaboration with Turkmenistan on international and regional affairs, and jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system and the common interests of the Global South, Xi said.

Berdimuhamedov expressed his gladness to meet with Xi on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit, saying that the summit will not only promote the cooperation between Central Asian countries and China, but also facilitate the bilateral cooperation between Turkmenistan and China.

Noting that the comprehensive and profound development of China-Turkmenistan relations holds a great strategical significance, Berdimuhamedov said that Turkmenistan stands ready to fully expand cooperation with China, increase the natural gas export to China, deepen cooperation in non-resource sectors such as machinery manufacturing and textile, enhance connectivity, promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges in areas of education and culture, and make security cooperation in law enforcement closer.

Turkmenistan is also willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, and safeguard international fairness and justice, Berdimuhamedov said.

After the meeting, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of economic and technological cooperation documents between the two governments.

China willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unlock potential for cooperation based on win-win collaboration: Xi

China willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unlock potential for cooperation based on win-win collaboration: Xi

China willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unlock potential for cooperation based on win-win collaboration: Xi

China willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unlock potential for cooperation based on win-win collaboration: Xi

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that Seoul firmly adheres to the one-China principle, in comments made ahead of his upcoming state visit to China.

The remarks were made in an interview with China Media Group (CMG). The visit is scheduled for Jan 4–7.

"The consensus reached between governments of the Republic of Korea and China when diplomatic relations were established continues to be the fundamental principle governing our relations, and its effectiveness remains steadfast. I want to clearly state that the ROK has always adhered to the one-China principle. Maintaining peace and stability in regional matters, including in Northeast Asia and concerning the Taiwan issue, holds significant importance to us," said Lee.

"The foundational relationship between the ROK and China was established on a very principled and fundamental basis from the beginning. It is clear that the ROK government has always adhered to this position and has never wavered from it. I believe that the sound development of ROK-China relations depends on both sides fully respecting each other's core interests and being mutually tolerant of each other's positions. In this context, we will, as always, uphold the one-China principle as the Taiwan issue is China's most fundamental concern," he said.

ROK president reiterates firm adherence to one-China principle