On December 14, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao attended the inauguration ceremony of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline on the right bank of the Amu Darya River, Turkmenistan.

At about 11:35 local time, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Uzbek President Islam Karimov arrived together in a gas plant on the right bank of the Amu Darya River.

In his speech delivered at the inauguration ceremony, President Hu pointed out the project of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline is a model of sincere solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation of the four countries. He said the gas pipeline is a carrier of goodwill for long-term friendship and mutual benefits of the four countries. He said in recent years, the four countries have actively carried out energy cooperation and achieved fruitful results in line with the principle of mutual complementarity, mutual benefit, equality and win-win cooperation. President Hu said that the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline is a major cooperative project and of great significance to the four countries. He said China is ready to continue to maintain close communication and step up coordination with Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to secure safety and efficiency in the pipeline's operation.

Hu said currently the international situation is undergoing profound and complicated changes. He called on the four countries to strengthen cooperation and work to promote common development of all countries in the region.

The Central Asian leaders said the completion of the China-Central Asia gas pipeline injects new impetus into economic development cooperation among the four countries. It is not only in the interest of the four peoples, but is also conducive to regional stability and development and of great significance to promoting international energy cooperation and establishing energy cooperative partnership. They believed the "silk road" in the new era will play an important role in enhancing China's friendly cooperation with Central Asian countries.

After delivering speeches, the four heads of state, with their hands on wheel of valves, turned on the flow of natural gas together, putting into operation the pipeline linking the four nations.

After the inauguration ceremony, President Hu attended a luncheon held by Turkmen President Berdymukhamedov in Turkmenabat for the other three heads of state.

Ling Jihua, Wang Huning and Dai Bingguo attended the inauguration ceremony.