China and Central Asian countries agree to deepen broad cooperation

Beijing, The Gulf Observer: China and five Central Asian countries achieved fruitful cooperation and broad consensus on issues covering the economy, trade and security during Thursday’s fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kulubaev Zheenbek Moldokanovich, Tajikistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Turkmenistan’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vepa Hajiyev, and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov attended the meeting in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province.

The six parties hailed the China-Central Asia mechanism’s role in consolidating political mutual trust, deepening exchanges and cooperation, and promoting people-to-people exchanges, and stressed that the mechanism makes a positive contribution to maintaining peace and stability in the region.

They reached an agreement on 14 areas, including consensuses to push forward the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), expand cooperation in agriculture, new energy, e-commerce, green and digital economy, and high-tech industry to create new highlights and growth points for cooperation and combat the terrorism, extremism and separatism.

China and the five Central Asia countries reaffirmed their respect for every country’s respective development paths chosen in accordance with their national conditions and support on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns.

They also vowed firm opposition to interference by external forces in the internal affairs of the six countries.

Noting China and the Central Asian countries have the same, or similar positions on major international and regional issues, the six parties agreed that they will maintain close cooperation under the framework of the United Nations and other multilateral mechanisms, adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and other universally recognized norms of international law, advocate multilateralism and uphold international justice and equity.

The six parties also studied and coordinated the preparatory work for the upcoming China-Central Asia Summit, discussed the content of the Summit’s outcome document and agreed to maintain close communication and collaboration.

The Central Asian countries highly appreciated the work done by the Chinese side in organizing the China-Central Asia Summit.

They also agreed to hold China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting once a year.