China-Central Asia Summit will expand common understandings among China and Central Asian countries: FM spokesperon

(ECNS) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the initiative of the Silk Road Economic Belt during his speech in Kazakhstan in September 2013. Central Asia thus became where the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was first proposed and a pacesetter for connectivity, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday at a regular press conference. 

Wang pointed out that over the past decade, President Xi has maintained close exchanges with the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries. "They personally mapped out the blueprint for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, reached important common understandings on connecting the BRI with the development strategies of Central Asian countries and provided strategic guidance for China-Central Asia Belt and Road cooperation."

Over the past decade, China has jointly implemented a number of major projects which has benefited the region and its people in various ways, Wang said. The China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center and the China-Kazakhstan Logistics Base in Lianyungang have been completed, providing a gateway to the Pacific for Central Asian countries. The Chinese-built tunnel of the Angren-Pap railway line, the longest tunnel in Central Asia, saved local residents the trouble of climbing through the mountains or taking a detour via neighboring countries. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) highway has become an important international transportation route that runs smoothly through the region’s mountainous terrain. Four-fifths of the China-Europe Railway Express trains run through Central Asia. They are a steel caravan for the Eurasian continent. Last year, the total trade volume between China and Central Asian countries hit a record high of $70 billion. These tangible outcomes lay a solid foundation for the two sides’ continued commitment to mutual respect, good neighborliness and friendship, mutual support in times of difficulties and win-win cooperation.

The China-Central Asia Summit will soon be held in Xi’an and will expand the common understandings among China and Central Asian countries and galvanize efforts from both sides to stay at the forefront of high-quality BRI cooperation, according to Wang.

He believes the summit is set to reinvigorate the millennia-old trade route and herald a promising outlook for China-Central Asia cooperation and will contribute to an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.