Kasymzhomart Tokayev, minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, will pay an official visit to China from Feb. 26 to March 1 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a press conference on Tuesday that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan will meet with Tokayev respectively and the two foreign ministers will hold talks.

He said the two sides will exchange views on the development of bilateral relations, and the strengthening of cooperation between members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be an important topic as the SCO summit is to be held in Shanghai this year.

"The Chinese side attaches great importance to Tokayev's forthcoming visit and hopes it will further promote bilateral friendship and cooperation." said the spokesman.

He said Kazakhstan is one of China's very important neighbors and the two countries enjoy sound cooperation in various fields such as politics, economy, trade, anti-terrorism, and fighting against "three forces", namely, separatism, extremism and terrorism.

The two countries have also enjoyed good relations within the framework of the SCO, said Liu, and have strengthened links in the economic and trade fields.

Source: Xinhua