China and Kazakhstan issued a joint communique in Astana on Friday, pledging further efforts to promote bilateral strategic partnership and deepen cooperation in various fields.

The communique, which was signed during a three-day official visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, said the Sino-Kazakh strategic partnership has witnessed rapid and sound growth in recent years, highlighting the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries in 2008.

The visits by heads of the state of both sides have enhanced mutual political trust and broadened cooperation in various sectors including economy and trade, culture and security, said the communique.

The two sides have also had effective cooperation in international and regional issues, it added.

The two sides are willing to further strengthen contact at all levels,and readily exchange views on bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Both sides spoke highly of the role of the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee in helping implement the agreements between the two countries and enhancing their pragmatic bilateral cooperation. The two sides vowed to further improve such a mechanism.

Kazakhstan reaffirmed its support for the Chinese government on the issues of Taiwan, Tibet and the crackdown on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism.

The two sides highly valued their effective security coordination during the Beijing Olympic Games in August and decided to further strengthen such cooperation.

The two sides will step up cooperation on cracking down on smuggling, drug trafficking, cross-border crimes and organized illegal immigration.

Both sides also pledged to strengthen cooperation within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia.

The cooperation between the two countries within these frameworks is conducive to the stability and development in the region and the world at large, said the communique.

The two sides also agreed that the SCO has grown into an important platform for promoting good neighborly ties between the member states on the basis of mutual trust and benefit.

The SCO also offers an effective mechanism in maintaining regional peace and stability, which is in the common interest of both China and Kazakhstan, said the communique.

China spoke highly of the efforts by Kazakhstan to host the 7th prime ministers' meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries.

The two sides also pledged to further enhance pragmatic cooperation in security, economy, and culture within the SCO.

The SCO, founded in Shanghai in 2001, consists of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Pakistan, India, Iran and Mongolia as observers.

Wen arrived in Astana Wednesday evening for a three-day visit to Kazakhstan after wrapping up a tour to Russia.

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2008)