China is willing to make concerted efforts with Tajikistan to advance their military relations to a new high, visiting Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan said in the Tajik capital city of Dushanbe Wednesday.

At a meeting with Makhmadsaid Ubaidullayev, speaker of Tajikistan's upper house, Cao said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 13 yeas ago, China and Tajikistan have continuously strengthened their political mutual trust and carried out cooperation in various fields, according to reports from Dushanbe.

The two countries have witnessed active coordination, mutual understanding, close cooperation in international and regional affairs in the past 13 years, he added.

The cooperation between the armed forces of China and Tajikistan has reached new highs as bilateral relations continue to grow, Cao said.

Earlier, in talks with Tajik Prime Minister Akil Akilov, Cao said China is willing to work with Tajikistan to implement consensus reached previously between Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmonov.

China also hopes to further push forward the all-around development of Sino-Tajik good-neighborly relationship of cooperation, he added.

Ubaidullayev expressed his satisfaction with the new development of the two countries' traditional friendship, saying Tajikistan wants to further expand cooperation with China.

Akilov, for his part, said Tajikistan and China have identical positions on a number of important international and regional affairs,

Cooperation between the two countries not only conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but also is significant in safeguarding peace in the region and the world at large.

Cao arrived in Dushanbe on Tuesday for a three-day official visit to Tajikistan.

Source: Xinhua