China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will launch the secretariat of the China-Central Asia mechanism. The ceremony will take place on 30 March in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. This was stated at a press conference on 29 March by Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Lin Jian.
Four years ago, China and the five Central Asian countries jointly set up the China-Central Asia mechanism to meet cooperation need and respond to the prevailing trend of the times, Lin Jiang recalled.
Setting up a secretariat as soon as possible is an important step to deliver on the consensus reached by leaders of the six countries and a priority in developing the China-Central Asia mechanism, he stressed.
In May last year, the China-Central Asia Summit was successfully held in Xi’an, elevating the China-Central Asia mechanism to presidential level and ushering in the new era of China-Central Asia cooperation, he added.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, over the past year, trade between China and the five Central Asian countries amounted to almost USD 90 billion, up by 27.2 percent year-on-year hitting a new record high.
It was noted that while cooperation in traditional areas, such as economy and trade, energy and agriculture, is booming, cooperation in emerging areas, such as high tech, green energy and e-commerce, shows numerous highlights.
The speaker also highlighted the fruitfully developing cooperation in the transport sector.
“Major projects including the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway and key section of the China-Tajikistan Highway Phase II project are well underway”, Lin Jiang said.
Direct passenger flights connecting China and Central Asian countries have been increased to 68.
“There are now 80 pairs of sister cities between China and Central Asian countries. These tangible cooperation results showcase the unique advantage and enormous potential of the China-Central Asia mechanism,” the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry continued.
“China is convinced that with joint effort of all sides, the China-Central Asia mechanism and its secretariat will continue to develop, promote high-quality cooperation between China and Central Asia and make greater contribution to building an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future,” Lin Jiang concluded. ///nCa, 29 March 2024