FM: Hu's visit helps bring China and central Asia closer

President Hu Jintao has returned to Beijing after his visit to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who accompanied the President,says the visit helped bring China and the region closer, adding that potential for wider cooperation is huge.

Closer cooperation was the primary goal of President Hu Jintao's Central Asian visit.

During his stay in Kazakhstan, Hu Jintao reached an agreement with his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, on promoting the bilateral strategic partnership.

Hu singled out some prominent fields the two nations should pursue together. These include enhancing political mutual trust, deepening cooperation in the energy sector as well as expanding financial and cultural cooperation.

Hu announced China would double the number of scholarships for Kazakh students to study in China beginning next year. The two sides also agreed to speed up the implementation of a 10-billion US dollar loan agreement China has offered Kazakhstan.