Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping Is Talking with Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Alexei Borodavkin

From April 4 to 5, 2011, Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping, at the invitations of Alexei Borodavkin and Grigoriy Karasin, Russian deputy foreign ministers, attended the consultations on regional security of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Moscow, and had the consultations on the issues in Central Asia between the Chinese and Russian foreign ministries. He also had bilateral meetings respectively with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Fathollahi.

Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigoriy
Karasin Are Holding Consultations on Central Asia Issues between the Chinese and
Russian Foreign Ministries

At the SCO's consultations on regional security issues, Cheng Guoping pointed out that the international community should continue to increase support and assistance to Afghanistan, take integrated measures to cure both the symptoms and root causes of the Afghanistan issues and help Afghanistan strengthen the sovereignty, autonomy and development capacities, improve people's livelihood and get ready for the transition to a stage of "Afghan people ruling Afghanistan". As a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan and a member state of the SCO, China is willing to work with Afghanistan's other neighbors, other member states and the observer states of the SCO, and the international community to make unremitting efforts toward this goal.

Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigoriy
Karasin Are Holding the Consultations on Central Asia Issues between the Chinese and
Russian Foreign Ministries

At the consultations on the issues in Central Asia, China and Russia agreed that the current complex and volatile international situation has already exerted direct or indirect negative impacts on the already complex situation in the region. The increasing unstable and uncertain factors in the current situation in Central Asia, especially the aggravation of the "three forces" and drug smuggling activities, have posed serious challenges to the national security of China, Russia and countries in Central Asia. China and Russia should work together to strengthen comprehensive cooperation with Central Asian countries, intensify efforts to crack down on the "three forces" and drug trafficking, and promote peace, security, stability and development in Central Asia. The two sides also agreed that enhancing strategic coordination between the two countries in the area is a major positive factor to regional peace, security and stability. The two sides will further enhance communication, coordination and cooperation to this end. Other parties were also expected to play a more constructive role in Central Asia.

Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping Is Talking with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister
Fathollahi

Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping Is Attending the SCO's Consultations on
Regional Security