ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkmenistan is willing to expand cooperation with China in various areas, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said here on Tuesday at a meeting with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Berdymukhamedov asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping and extended his warm congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

China is the only country that has eliminated absolute poverty and completed the building of a well-off society in an all-round way, and Turkmenistan admires China for its achievements that have attracted worldwide attention, Berdymukhamedov said.

Turkmenistan and China are long-term strategic partners, and the relationship between the two sides is based on mutual respect, trust and support, the president noted.

Berdymukhamedov thanked China for consistently supporting the international initiatives put forward by Turkmenistan and its permanent neutrality, saying that Turkmenistan firmly supports the one-China principle and will continue to firmly support China on issues involving China's core interests.

To cooperate with China in the energy field is a political decision made by Turkmenistan, he said, adding that Turkmenistan regards China as a long-term and reliable strategic partner in the field of natural gas, and is willing to further expand cooperation with China in the fields of information, communications, high technology, etc.

The Turkmen side thanked China for its assistance in fighting the epidemic. China's vaccines are safe, effective and trustworthy, and Turkmenistan is willing to continue to strengthen vaccine cooperation with China, according to Berdymukhamedov.

China and the five Central Asian countries are not only close neighbors, but also friends and partners. They have huge space and potential for mutually beneficial cooperation, and should work together to give full play to the role of the "China+Central Asia" mechanism to maintain regional security and stability, and promote regional development and prosperity, Berdymukhamedov added.

The Turkmen side advocated that neighboring countries should play a bigger role on the Afghan issue, and expressed its willingness to strengthen communication and coordination with China on the situation in Afghanistan.