BEIJING, Oct 19 (Reuters) - China and Turkmenistan should increase the volume of their bilateral trade, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday during talks with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan.

China and Turkmenistan should also should expand cooperation in the fields of medical and health care, sport and tourism, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

Berdimuhamedow is a former president of Turkmenistan, an energy-rich former Soviet republic in Central Asia, and the father of the current head of state, Serdar Berdimuhamedow.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom Editing by Gareth Jones)