Summit meetings among China, Russia, Kazakstan, Kirghistan and Tajikistan

At the invitation of President Nazarbayev of Kazakstan, President Jiang visited Kazakstan on July 3, 1998 and attended the five-country summit for the third time. President Jiang delivered an important speech entitled Uphold Peace and Stability and Promote Development and Prosperity in which he expounded China's stand on regional peace and development, the situation in South Asia and enhancing economic cooperation among the five countries and in the region. President Jiang pointed out that China is committed to promoting peace and development in the region and enjoys good cooperation with Russia and China's neighbors in Central Asia. He emphasized that to uphold and develop friendly cooperation among them, the five countries must continue to firmly oppose ethnic separatism, terrorism and smuggling of arms which jeopardize stability and security in the region. After the summit, the five foreign ministers signed the Alma-Ata Joint Statement. It was stressed in the joint statement that to enlarge and strengthen cooperation among the five countries meets the fundamental interests of the peoples of these countries and will contribute to stability, security, development and prosperity in both the region and the whole of Asia.

On August 24-26, 1999 President Jiang visited Bishkek, capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, to attend the fourth five-country summit. During the summit, he exchanged views with leaders of the other four countries on the international developments, regional security and regional economic cooperation. The summit further boosted the good neighborly relations and cooperation among the five countries. On August 25, the heads of the five countries signed the Bishkek Joint Statement. In the statement, the five countries reviewed with satisfaction the progress made in their cooperation since the Shanghai summit in 1996 and spoke highly of the steps they had taken for enhancing regional security and cooperation in keeping with the trends of the time. The five countries supported the concept of reviving the "silk road" in contemporary cooperation advanced by President Akayev of Kirghistan and reiterated that coordination among the five countries is open and not directed against other countries.