The two-day China + Central Asia (C+C5) industry and investment cooperation forum opened in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, on Thursday, 16 February.
According to Chinese news outlets, the forum is themed “Jointly promote high-quality regional economic development by mutual benefit and win-win progress”
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the participants of forum from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The deepening industrial and investment cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries will effectively maintain the stability of regional industrial and supply chains, raise the level of industrial development and global economic participation of regional countries, and promote common development and prosperity, the message says.
Xi underscored China’s willingness to share market, industrial systems and technologies with Central Asian countries, deepen practical cooperation, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, jointly promote high-quality regional economic development, and build an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
China has always attached great importance to its relationship with central Asian countries. With regards to economy and trade, the trade volume between China and the five Central Asian countries has jumped from less than $500 million at the beginning of the establishment of diplomatic ties to $50.1 billion in 2022, an increase of more than 100 times. China also aims to increase the trade volume with Central Asian countries to $70 billion by 2030, CTGN reports.
Moreover, China has become the largest source of investment in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the second largest in Uzbekistan and the fourth largest in Kazakhstan. A variety of initiatives in oil and gas, mining, agriculture, textile processing, and manufacturing have been carried out jointly by China and Central Asian nations. ///nCa, 17 February 2023