On Monday, Hu and his counterparts from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan jointly put into operation a natural gas pipeline linking the four nations.

    At the ceremony in a gas plant near the Turkmen-Uzbek border, President Hu said the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline project served a model of sincere solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation of the four countries.

    The 1,833-km pipeline starts at the border between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and runs through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan before reaching northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

    Hu described the pipeline as a major cooperative project and of great significance to the four countries, which carries goodwill for friendship.

    He said China was ready to maintain close contacts and step up coordination with Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to build a second line of the project and guarantee safety and efficiency in the pipeline's operation.

    Noting that the four countries have their own advantages of energy development while sharing policy goals in the field, Hu expressed China's willingness to enhance its energy cooperation with the other three in an all-round way and to establish a long-term, stable, secured and reliable partnership with them.

    In terms of regional cooperation, the Chinese president called for the four countries to apply the experience of this project to other fields and to work to promote common development of all countries in the region.

    During his visits in Central Asia over the past few days, Hu met separately presidents of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The leaders reached broad consensus on strengthening political mutual trust, deepening practical cooperation, and promoting communication and coordination in multilateral organizations.

    In Kazakhstan, the Chinese leader made a five-point proposal on promoting the Sino-Kazakh strategic partnership. That included: strengthening political mutual trust, deepening cooperation in the energy sector and other sectors, enhancing financial cooperation, and expanding cultural cooperation.

    In Turkmenistan, during meeting with President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Hu proposed enhancing pragmatic cooperation between the two countries, including the initiation of a mechanism of Sino-Turkmen cooperation commission, deepening cooperation in energy area and in other sectors, and implementing the agreed loan projects.

    Ahead of the inauguration ceremony in Turkmenistan, Hu met with Uzbek President Islam Karimov and they agreed to advance bilateral relations.

    Apart from cooperation in oil and gas, Hu also called for closer cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, transportation, telecommunications, light industry and agriculture.

    In summarizing Hu's tour, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi described it as "fruitful."