On December 13, 2009, visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat, exchanging extensive and in-depth views and reaching important consensus on further pushing forward China-Turkmenistan friendly cooperative relations.

Hu spoke highly of bilateral ties. He said since the two countries established diplomatic relations 17 years ago, the two sides have maintained a high level of mutual political trust and firmly supported each other on major issues concerning each other's core interests. He noted that the two countries have carried out vigorous cooperation in trade, energy and culture and cooperated closely in international and regional affairs. The upcoming completion of China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline marks that China-Turkmenistan cooperation has reached a new level. Hu said China is ready to work with Turkmenistan for the all-round, in-depth and rapid development of their bilateral ties.

Hu said China has always placed importance on its relations with Turkmenistan, regarding it as a reliable friend and major partner. He said strengthening practical cooperation in all areas is in the common interests of both countries and peoples.

Hu said the Chinese and Turkmen economies are highly complementary to each other, and bilateral cooperation of mutual benefit in all dimensions and various fields accords with the needs of economic development of both countries. Hu outlined four areas that the two countries should focus on to advance practical cooperation. Firstly, the two countries should start as soon as possible the mechanism of Sino-Turkmen cooperation committee so as to better guide and coordinate practical cooperation between the two countries. Secondly, the two countries should continue to deepen cooperation in the energy sector. Hu said the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline is a cooperative project that benefits the two countries and the whole region. China is ready to work with Turkmenistan to secure smooth operation of the gas pipeline and further advance bilateral cooperation in the natural gas sector in line with the principle of equal consultation and mutual benefit so as to drive the development of economic, trade and other relevant sectors of the two countries, Hu said. Thirdly, the two countries should also strengthen cooperation in non-resources fields. Hu said China is ready to expand cooperation with Turkmenistan in transport, communications, building materials and infrastructure development. He proposed that the two countries should study and draft a plan of middle- and long-term cooperation in non-resources fields. Fourthly, the two countries should earnestly implement the credit projects they agreed upon by accelerating the inauguration of relevant projects.

Hu said the activities of the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism in Central Asia have posed a serious threat to the security and stability of all countries in the region. China is ready to strengthen communication with Turkmenistan and work together to crack down on the "three evil forces" and cross-border crimes so as to effectively maintain regional security and stability, he said.

Hu emphasized that cooperation in the fields of humanities and culture is an important part of bilateral friendly cooperative relations. He said expanding cultural cooperation is conducive to reinforcing the foundation of bilateral friendship and expanding bilateral cooperation in all fields. China is ready to work with Turkmenistan to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in culture, sports, education, press, health and tourism. The two countries should actively carry out cultural and people-to-people exchanges, promote contact between their art groups, non-governmental organizations, media organizations and academic institutes and step up cooperation in education, he added. Hu announced the decision to double the number of annual scholarships offered by the Chinese government to Turkmen students studying in China from the current 45 to 90 as of 2010. Hu also expressed China's readiness to provide assistance to Turkmenistan on Chinese language teaching.

Berdymukhamedov fully agreed with Hu's proposals for developing bilateral ties, saying Hu's visit is of special significance. He said Turkmenistan attaches great importance to China and its relations with China. The long-term strategic partnership between the two countries is based on a high degree of mutual trust, mutual respect and friendship. Despite the changes in international situation, the Turkmen government and people will always firmly push forward cooperation with China, he said. Berdymukhamedov spoke highly of the rapid growth of bilateral trade in recent years, saying China has become one of the biggest trade partners of Turkmenistan. Berdymukhamedov said Chinese companies have made investment in oil and gas, transportation and other sectors in Turkmenistan and won respect of Turkmen companies. The energy cooperation of equality and mutual benefit has scored important outcome and the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline is an example of sincere cooperation under the strategic partnership of the two countries. He said the project is not only in the long-term interests of both countries and their peoples, but is also conducive to maintaining stability of the global energy market. Berdymukhamedov said that under the new circumstance the two countries share a broad prospect of cooperation in all areas. Turkmenistan is ready to strengthen political dialogue and carry out practical cooperation with China in the fields of chemical industry, building material industry, science, culture and education. The president said China is an important force for promoting world peace, stability and development. He expressed satisfaction with the effective cooperation between the two countries in multilateral organizations including the UN, saying the two sides share broad common interest and hold similar positions on international affairs.

Before the talks, Hu presented Berdymukhamedov with a list of books donated to the National Library of Turkmenistan. After the talks, Hu and Berdymukhamedov attended a signing ceremony and jointly met the press. President Hu also laid a wreath to the Independence Monument. On the evening of the same day, President Hu attended a welcome banquet given by Berdymukhamedov in his honor.

Ling Jihua, Wang Huning and Dai Bingguo attended the above activities.