China and five Central Asian countries have agreed to deepen their cooperation and strengthen ties across multiple sectors following the 5th China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The meeting, held in Chengdu City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, brought together Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Wang Yi summarized the five key consensus reached during the meeting:
- Strengthening Mechanisms: The six nations agreed to enhance the China-Central Asia mechanism, emphasizing the guidance of their heads of state to make it better and stronger.
- Deepening All-Round Cooperation: They committed to deepening cooperation in various fields, including expanding partnerships in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System applications, poverty reduction, desertification control, higher education, and people-to-people exchanges.
- Upholding Regional Peace: The countries pledged to uphold regional peace and stability, implement the Global Security Initiative proposed by China, oppose external interference in their internal affairs, and support Afghanistan in achieving peaceful reconstruction.
- Enhancing Cultural Exchanges: The nations emphasized mutual learning among civilizations to strengthen the foundation of everlasting friendship. China announced it would provide 1,500 training opportunities to the Central Asian countries and increase scholarships by 600 in the next three years to develop talent in urgently needed fields.
- Promoting Multilateralism: They agreed to uphold multilateralism and safeguard international equity and justice, strengthen coordination in international and regional affairs, promote solidarity in the global South, and oppose any form of “decoupling and breaking chains.”
The ministers also discussed preparations for the 2nd China-Central Asia Summit, which is scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan next year. They expressed full support for China as it assumes the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and committed to working together to achieve new developments and elevate the SCO to a new level.
This meeting marks a significant step in enhancing cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, paving the way for a shared future of prosperity and stability in the region.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
