(unofficial translation)
On 1 December 2024, Wang Yi, member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Jeenbek Kulubayev, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov (hereinafter referred to as the “Parties”) jointly held the Fifth Meeting of the China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
All parties, in a candid, friendly, and mutually respectful atmosphere, conducted in-depth exchanges on the development of China-Central Asia relations, cooperation within the framework of the China-Central Asia mechanism, and issues of common concern, and issued the following joint statement:
1. All parties agree that the China-Central Asia Summit held in Xi’an in May 2023 marked a significant milestone in the development of relations between China and Central Asian countries. The six parties have actively promoted and effectively implemented the consensus reached at the summit, achieving new developments and breakthroughs in China-Central Asia cooperation. All parties reiterate their determination to jointly build a China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
2. All parties attach great importance to the second China-Central Asia Summit to be held in Kazakhstan and have agreed to launch preparations immediately. The foreign ministries of the six countries will maintain close communication, promote stronger coordination among relevant departments, accumulate achievements, and ensure the complete success of the summit.
3. All parties noted that the ministerial-level cooperation mechanisms in the fields of trade, industry and investment, agriculture, transportation, customs, law enforcement, and emergency management, established within the framework of the China-Central Asia mechanism, have operated efficiently and played an important role in promoting China-Central Asia cooperation. All parties are willing to continuously improve the construction of the China-Central Asia mechanism and enrich the content of China-Central Asia cooperation based on the actual needs of cooperation.
The participating parties of the secretariat all believe that the China-Central Asia mechanism secretariat, launched in March 2024, has provided an effective platform for promoting multilateral cooperation. The participating parties of the secretariat are willing to make every effort to complete the signing of the secretariat’s legal documents and ensure that the secretariat enters into full operation next year.
IV. Based on the cooperation foundation and needs of all parties, all parties agree to prioritize cooperation in the following areas:
Promoting trade facilitation: Further enhance the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment between China and Central Asian countries, expand mutual market access, ensure the stability and smoothness of supply and industrial chains, and promote the development of new business models such as digital trade, service trade, and e-commerce. All parties are willing to sign agreements on deepening trade facilitation as soon as possible.
Promoting industrial investment cooperation: Support mutual investment between China and Central Asian countries, consolidate cooperation in traditional areas such as building materials, light industry, and processing manufacturing, expand cooperation in new areas such as the digital economy, green development, and renewable energy, increase the added value of the industrial chain, enhance economic stability, and promote high-quality development of investment cooperation between China and Central Asian countries. All parties welcome the holding of import and export product exhibitions, business and investment forums in member countries of the mechanism, and support the holding of the second China-Central Asia Business Leaders’ Council meeting.
Strengthening connectivity: Comprehensively promote cooperation between China and Central Asian countries in highways, railways, aviation, shipping, multimodal transport, logistics, port construction, and data optical cables, and advance the construction of the China-Central Asia transport corridor. To build a high-level connectivity cooperation framework between the two sides, all parties are willing to study and sign strategic documents on connectivity development and alignment with national transportation development plans. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Central Asian countries on China-Europe (Asia) freight trains and promote the establishment of intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms.
Expanding green mineral cooperation: Promote cooperation between China and Central Asian countries in the fields of mineral exploration, mining, smelting, processing, transportation, and sales, strengthen the green development and utilization of all links in the mineral resource industrial chain, and study and sign documents on strengthening investment cooperation in the green mineral field.
Deepening agricultural cooperation: Strengthen cooperation in seed breeding, agricultural product processing, smart agriculture, water-saving irrigation, soil improvement, agricultural machinery manufacturing, and expert training, and promote the steady growth of agricultural investment and trade.
Facilitating personnel exchanges: All parties are willing to give full play to the coordinating role of the consular departments of the foreign ministries of various countries, study and introduce more measures to facilitate personnel exchanges, including discussions among relevant parties on formulating facilitation agreements.
Expanding tourism cooperation: All parties have noted the important role of tourism cooperation in promoting people-to-people and economic exchanges between China and Central Asian countries, and have agreed to deepen tourism cooperation and take joint measures to create favorable conditions for the exchange of tourism groups.
5. All parties will continue to deepen educational cooperation, strengthen exchanges between institutions and students, and provide the necessary talent support for China-Central Asia cooperation. China is willing to provide more training opportunities and scholarships to the five Central Asian countries.
All parties believe that it is necessary to maintain regular cultural exchange activities, such as exhibitions, concerts, performances, and sports events, widely attracting young people to participate in these events. All parties pointed out that the “New Era of the Great Silk Road” China-Central Asia Youth Forum plays an important role in establishing and expanding regular exchanges between the people of China and Central Asia, and welcomes the initiative to hold the China-Central Asia Young Talents Forum.
6. China is willing to cooperate with relevant Central Asian countries in high-tech fields, including the application of remote sensing and surveying satellites.
7. In order to better solve social development and livelihood issues, China is willing to share its experience in poverty alleviation and desertification control with relevant Central Asian countries, including discussing the formulation and implementation of plans in these areas.
8. All parties are willing to hold a themed cooperation year every two years to promote high-quality development of China-Central Asia cooperation.
9. China welcomes the regional cooperation development concept “Central Asia-2040”.
All parties have discussed the possibility of formulating a permanent treaty of good-neighborly friendship and cooperation among member states of the China-Central Asia mechanism.
10. All parties have confirmed that the second summit will be held in Astana in June 2025.
11. All parties expressed gratitude to China for hosting the fifth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at a high level. ///nCa, 2 December 2024 [the original text was published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/wjbzhd/202412/t20241201_11536029.shtml ]