China and the other five members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Russia, Kazakstan,Tajikistan, Kirghizstan and Uzbekistan, are boosting economic cooperation besides in the anti-terrorism sector, as mentioned in a series of mutual agreements.

The trade volume between China and the other five SCO members hit 19.72 billion US dollars in 2003 and 8.1 billion US dollars inthe first four months this year, Chinese customs figures show.

Russian Ambassador to China Igor A. Rogachev told Xinhua that the regular meeting between Russian and Chinese leaders and the bilateral agreements have forged a strong mechanism to enhance economic ties.

Sino-Russian trade has maintained an upward momentum for six years consecutively and reached 15.6 billion US dollars in 2003, 6.1 billion US dollars in the January-April period this year.

"But as the two economies both transform into market-oriented ones, we need more direct cooperation between the two industries,"Rogachev said.

Uzbekistani Ambassador to China Nosirdjon Yusupov said Uzbekistan-China trade was 347 million US dollars in 2003, up 100 percent on the basis of last year, noting he hopes Chinese enterprises would participate in the Uzbekistani telecommunication market and enhance energy cooperation.

Energy and communication cooperation also fueled China's trade with the other SCO members, involving an oil pipeline from Kazakstan to China and a pan-Asia road network.

Source: Xinhua