President Jiang to Attend Shanghai Five Summit: SpokesmanPresident Jiang Zemin will attend the "Shanghai Five" summit meeting between China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to be held in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe on July 5, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhu Bangzao announced Monday.Zhu also announced at a regular press conference that at the invitation of Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmonov and Turkmenistan President Saparmurad Niyazov, Jiang will also pay a state visit to the two countries on July 3-4 and July 5-7, respectively. Since 1996 state leaders of the five countries have met four times and the five countries have had fruitful cooperation in numerous areas. They have made great contribution to peace and development of the region and the world as well, the spokesman said. During the summit meeting of the "Shanghai Five" in Dushanbe at the turn of the century, Zhu said, leaders of the five countries will review the development of regular meetings, and draft blueprints for the five-nation cooperation in the new century. The upcoming summit meeting will be of great significance, and serve as a link between the past and the future, said the spokesman. During the upcoming state visit to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, Jiang will hold talks with leaders of the two countries. The visit is expected to inject new vigor in the continuing development of China-Tajikistan and China-Turkmenistan relations in the new century, he said. |
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