Kazakh Parliament Speaker Nurtai Abykaev on Friday in Astana met an 11-member Chinese delegation which will observe the country's presidential election slated for Sunday.

Abykaev said China was a friendly neighbor of Kazakhstan, as the two countries had close cooperation in the fields of politics, economy and trade. He said the Chinese observers' opinions on the upcoming election were very important to Kazakhstan.

He also hailed the decision made jointly by Chinese President Hu Jintao and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in July to upgrade bilateral ties to a strategic partnership.

Abykaev hoped that the Kazakh parliament and the Chinese National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) would keep regular exchanges and make contributions to the further development of the two countries' ties.

Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee of the CPPCC Wu Tao, who leads the Chinese delegation, said to develop a strategic partnership with Kazakhstan was an established policy of the Chinese government. He added that the Chinese government would join hands with the Kazakh government to push forward bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Wu hoped that Sunday's presidential election in Kazakhstan would be a success.

Earlier in the day, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev also met the Chinese observers.

The Chinese delegation arrived in the capital of Astana on Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua