ASTANA - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon met here Friday on carrying forward bilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and deepening their strategic partnership.

China and Tajikistan are neighbors with close relations and strategic partners with high-level mutual trust, said Xi.

The two countries have maintained close high-level contacts, achieved fruitful results in cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, agriculture, infrastructure construction, energy and security, and coordinated closely under the frameworks of the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), said the Chinese president.

Noting that the two countries have made important achievements in jointly building the Belt and Road, Xi said the next step is to promote such cooperation towards a high-end, innovative and diversified direction.

He urged the two sides to strengthen economic policy coordination and development strategy alignment, strive for new progress in connectivity construction, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and boost cooperation in such fields as production capacity, equipment manufacturing, disaster relief, defense, law enforcement and security.

China is willing to work with Tajikistan to carry forward the spirit of good neighborliness, strengthen strategic coordination and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to lift the China-Tajikistan strategic partnership to a new height, Xi said.

For his part, Rahmon called the two countries "good neighbors, good friends and good partners," saying the Tajik side cherishes the Tajikistan-China friendship, values the important role of China in international affairs, and dedicates itself to deepening bilateral strategic partnership.

Summing up the two countries' fruitful cooperation since they forged diplomatic relations 25 years ago, Rahmon told Xi that his country stands ready to synergize its development strategy with the historic Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China, and boost bilateral cooperation in areas like connectivity, electricity, agriculture and security.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi in 2013, comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.

Xi arrived here Wednesday for a state visit to Kazakhstan and the 17th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.