Chinese President Hu Jintao addresses the Uzbek Parliament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 16, 2004, putting forward a proposal for further developing relations with Central Asia.

Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao said Wednesday in Tashkent that China is willing to make concerted efforts with Central Asian countries to bring their relations to a new high.

Five Central Asian countries, as a new force in the Asian-European continents, have drawn widespread attention from the rest of the world with their unique geopolitical features and development modes, Hu said in a speech at the Uzbek Parliament.

In the past decade since their independence, the countries have been committed to maintaining peace and stability, developing economy, improving living conditions of their people and promoting regional cooperation, Hu said.

At the same time, Hu said, the Asian nations have made great efforts to expand exchanges with the rest of the world and promote communication and dialogue between different civilizations, playing an increasingly bigger role in international affairs.

As a close neighbor, Hu went on to say, China is delighted at the progress made by the Central Asian countries in economic development and wishes for everlasting stability and sustained development in the region.

Along with the international community, China is willing to renew its efforts to preserve stability and promote development in Central Asia, said Hu.

Meanwhile, Hu recalled that China and Central Asian nations fostered close ties through the "Silk Road" by learning from each other in as early as the 2nd century BC.

The traditional friendship opened a new chapter in the past decade when the two sides further developed neighborly friendship, based on equality and mutual benefit, and expanded cooperation in various fields, said Hu.

China and the Central Asian countries have supported each other on issues related to sovereignty and territorial integrity and solved pending problems left by history including the delimitation of the borders, laying the foundation for deeper mutual trust, he noted.

As to regional security, Hu said, China and the Central Asian countries have conducted bilateral and multilateral cooperation and made remarkable progress in the fight against "three major threats" to regional security, namely terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Concerning economic cooperation and trade, Hu said, the economies of China and the Central Asian nations are highly complementary and the two sides have increased investment and expanded cooperation in energy, transportation, trade and other areas.

Recalling the past and looking forward to the future, China is fully confident of developing neighborly friendship with the Central Asian nations and ready to push the ties to a new high, Hu emphasized.

To this end, Hu put forward a four-point proposal in his speech.

First, Hu proposed that the two sides strengthen neighborly friendship and enhance mutual trust in politics.

The two sides should boost high-level contacts, improve the cooperation mechanism in various fields, support each other on major issues related to sovereignty, territorial integrity and national pride and build an all-around neighborly relationship with an eye on the 21st century.

Second, he proposed that the two sides enhance security coordination and maintain regional stability.

Hu said the two sides should, in accordance with the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism and bilateral agreements, make efforts to fight any threats to the region's peace and stability so as to build an environment conducive to development.

Third, Hu said, the two sides should stick to the principle of mutual benefit and improve pragmatic cooperation in the fields of energy and road transportation.

Fourth, the Chinese president said, the two sides should broaden cultural cooperation and cement traditional friendship.

He noted that the two sides should encourage and support exchanges in the fields of culture, media, academia and tourism.

The Chinese president arrived here Monday night, the last leg of his four-nation trip following Poland, Hungary and Romania. He will also attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit meeting to be held here on Thursday.