Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov said on November 9 that his country aims to build a "most friendly and close cooperative relationship" with China.

Karimov, who was deeply impressed by the Forbidden City and the Chinese philosophy of harmony, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Tuesday that his country attaches great importance to the development of friendly relations with China.

The changes and reforms in China have caught the attention of people worldwide as the country moves forward toward the new century to become a strong world power, said the president, who arrived here Monday for a three-day state visit.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Karimov held an hour-and-a- half conversation on Monday. The two sides also issued a joint statement on further expansion of their cooperative relationship.

"We are interested in the principles of China's foreign policy, which President Jiang Zemin related to me during our conversation on Monday," Karimov said.

Those principles include mutual non-aggression, mutual respect for independence and sovereignty, non-interference in each other' s internal affairs, and settling disputes through peaceful means, he said.

During Monday's talks, Jiang and Karimov discussed topics covering bilateral relations, regional issues, and world issues of common concern, and "reached consensus on most of the issues," according to Karimov.

The aim of his current visit to China, his third since 1992, is to further expand the sphere of cooperation, Karimov said.

"Economic cooperation and trade relations between the two still have great potential," he said. "And I gained the impression during my talks with Jiang that we are both determined to expand the cooperation. My third state visit to China demonstrates our sincerity to that end."

Uzbekistan and China can cooperate well in political, economic and cultural areas, he said, adding that Uzbekistan is willing to develop "a most friendly and close cooperative relationship" with China, a major world power and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, he said.

Uzbekistan appreciates China's policy toward Central Asia and its participation in seeking a peaceful solution to the conflicts in Afghanistan within the "six plus two" framework, he said.

Karimov stressed the importance of joint efforts to fight against national separatism and religious extremism in the region. The two sides have agreed to take coordinated and more active and efficient actions against these evils.

China and Uzbekistan have jointed hands to make plans for cracking down on national separatism and religious extremism, he said.

In addition, Karimov said that Uzbekistan will be, as it has always been, in favor of the "one China" policy, and has matched its stance with actions.

Hong Kong's return to China has shown that the "one country, two systems" mode is a success in Hong Kong, he said.