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Peking (ots/PRNewswire) – It is no coincidence that Xi’an has been chosen to host the first face-to-face meeting between leaders of China and five Central Asian countries since diplomatic relations were established 31 years ago.

Over 2,100 years ago, Zhang Qian, a Han Dynasty envoy, traveled west from Chang’an, now northwest China’s Xi’an city, opening the door to friendship and exchanges between China and Central Asia.

In his keynote address at the China-Central Asia summit held at the starting point of the ancient Silk Road on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping recalled the millennia-old friendship and hailed the ties as bursting with vigor and vitality in the new era.

Explaining how to build a Sino-Central Asian community with a shared future, Xi stressed the need for mutual support, common development, and upholding universal security and eternal friendship.

The Thursday-Friday summit was attended by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Yaparov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In their meetings or talks with Xi, the leaders expressed their confidence and determination to step up cooperation with China and expressed their support for China’s proposed global development, security and civilization initiatives.

Speed ​​limit for the BRI cooperation (New Silk Road = Belt and Road Initiative)

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) began in Central Asia. In a speech at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan in September 2013, Xi proposed for the first time the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt. A month later, in Indonesia, he proposed the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

“Over the past decade, China and Central Asian countries have worked closely together to fully revitalize the Silk Road, actively deepen future-oriented cooperation, and lead our ties to a new era,” Xi said in his speech.

He referred to the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan transport route, the China-Tajikistan link, the China-Kazakhstan crude oil pipeline and the China-Central Asia gas pipeline as today’s Silk Road, and the China-Europe freight trains, trucks and flights as today’s camel caravans .

Besides the traditional areas of cooperation, China and Central Asia should also create new engines of growth in finance, agriculture, poverty alleviation, green and low-carbon development, medical services, health and digital innovation, Xi said.

China’s trade with the five countries reached US$70 billion in 2022, increasing more than 100-fold since diplomatic relations were established. At the end of March, Chinese direct investment in Central Asia exceeded $15 billion, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

Together for lasting peace

After the five Central Asian states declared their independence in 1991, China was one of the first countries to recognize their sovereignty and establish diplomatic relations with them. Since then, China and the countries have gradually formed strategic partnerships.

At Friday’s summit, Xi reiterated the need to uphold the sovereignty, security, independence and territorial integrity of the Central Asian countries, respect the development paths chosen by the people, and support their efforts towards peace, harmony and tranquility.

“It is important that we act within the framework of the Global Security Initiative and firmly resist outside attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of countries in the region or to incite color revolutions,” he said.

China and Central Asia, the Chinese leader said, should continue to practice zero tolerance of the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism and strive to resolve the issue.

Strengthening the dialogue between civilizations

On Thursday evening, leaders also watched an arts performance where dancers in costumes inspired by the Terracotta Warriors marched to the beat of drums to mark the Year of Culture and Arts of the Peoples of China and Central Asia, as well as the Chinese -open Central Asian Youth Art Festival.

Cultural workers delivering messages of friendship, as well as entrepreneurs seeking business opportunities, health workers battling COVID-19 and international students seeking to educate themselves are today’s goodwill ambassadors, Xi said on Friday.

Chinese universities are accommodating more and more students from Central Asia, promoting mutual understanding and solidarity through youth exchanges. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Central Asian students in China grew by more than 12 percent annually between 2010 and 2018.

In order to promote dialogue between civilizations, China will continue to provide government scholarships to Central Asian countries and open special train services for cultural tourism in Central Asia, among other things, Xi announced.

“It is important that we implement the Global Civilization Initiative, continue our traditional friendship and promote exchanges between peoples,” he said.

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