Gurmanguly Berdymukhammedov, president of the central Asian republic, last week declared that his two-day visit would mark “not only a new page in the chronicles of Turkmen/Chinese co-operation, but also a milestone in the fulfilment of Turkmenistan’s entire foreign policy strategy�?

Mr Berdymukhammedov’s talks with Hu Jintao, his Chinese counterpart, come as China demand for central Asian gas is increasing. The pipeline from Turkmenistan to China would form the first leg of a wider system also gathering gas from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan where the Chinese are also negotiating supply deals.

Delegations from the US and Russia visited Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s capital, last week for negotiations about pipelines to lock in supplies of Turkmen gas.

Mr Berdymukhammedov has promised Russia extra gas supplies.

However, he is keeping Turkmenistan’s options open on new markets in China, Europe and Pakistan which could be supplied via a long-stalled pipeline across Afghanistan.