BISHKEK, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China is ready to work with Mongolia to foster more areas of growth for mutually beneficial cooperation and advance hand in hand along the respective paths of modernization.

Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2026 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Noting that China and Mongolia are close neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, Xi said that peaceful coexistence, mutual support and solidarity as well as mutually beneficial cooperation have always been the mainstream and defining feature of bilateral relations.

China will continue to place China-Mongolia relations in an important position in its neighborhood diplomacy, and work together with Mongolia to consolidate strategic mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and promote people-to-people connectivity, so as to inject greater vitality into the comprehensive strategic partnership and promote the building of the China-Mongolia community with a shared future, Xi said.

Both sides should consolidate the political foundation for the development of China-Mongolia relations, respect each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and respect each other's core interests and major concerns, Xi said.

Xi voiced China's readiness to strengthen alignment of development strategies with Mongolia, promote traditional cooperation in trade, connectivity as well as energy and mineral resources, and explore the potential for cooperation in emerging fields such as green minerals, artificial intelligence and the digital economy.

China hopes that Mongolia will effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, said Xi, urging both sides to strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs and jointly address global challenges.