"The two countries should expand trade links and set up long-term and stable cooperative relations," Li said.

He suggested both sides implement a serious of large cooperation projects and boost cooperation in areas such as energy and infrastructure, facilitate two-way trade, investment and personnel exchanges.

The vice premier hailed the progress of China-Uzbekistan ties in recent years, citing strong political trust, win-win cooperation and support for each other on major issues concerning respective core interests.

Karimov, in his turn, said Uzbekistan has always attached great importance to developing ties with China, vowing to improve two-way trade with China, beef up interconnection of infrastructure and cooperation in the high-tech field.

He also pledged to offer a favorable environment for Chinese companies to invest in Uzbekistan, expand cultural exchanges and strengthen coordination on major global and regional issues.

Karimov is attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held Wednesday and Thursday in Beijing. President Hu Jintao held talks with him earlier on Wednesday, after which they agreed to upgrade the relationship between the two countries to a strategic partnership.

The SCO was founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001, and currently has six full members -- China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, Iran, Pakistan and India are four observer states, and its dialogue partners include Belarus and Sri Lanka.