Almaty, 24 February 1997 (RFE/RL) - Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev has returned home after holding talks in Beijing with China's President Jiang Zemin.
During the official part of Nazarbayev's visit last week, the two presidents discussed expanding trade ties, and involving Chinese companies in exploiting and transporting Kazakhstan's oil and gas reserves.
Greater use of existing rail-and-air services were also discussed. Earlier media reports suggesting the two sides would discuss separatist violence, involving Muslim ethnic Uighurs in China's Xinjiang Province, were denied by Kazak officials reached by our correspondent.
Nazarbayev arrived in south China for what was described as a holiday and preventative medical treatment in mid-February. He was the first foreign dignitary to meet President Jiang Zemin after the death of paramount Chinese leader Deng Xiopang.