- China, Central Asia Expand Cooperation Partnership by Signing the $1.6 billion Deals at Forum in Yinchuan, Ningxia
- The cooperation partnerships covered areas to promote green development, smart agriculture, e-commerce, and people-to-people exchanges.
- The China Central Asia Cooperation Forum concluded in Yinchuan, Ningxia
By: Muhammad Arif, Editor NSN.Asia
Beijing: China and Central Asian countries have signed 35 cooperation agreements, worth 11.2 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in areas of trade, agriculture and sister cities, during the China Central Asia Cooperation Forum that concluded in Yinchuan, Ningxia, Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region.
On October 26th, the 11th China Central Asia Cooperation Forum was held to share opportunities, seek common development, and work together to promote the construction of a closer China and Central Asia community with a shared future.
At the conclusion of the forum, Yinchuan Initiative was announced, calling for more exchanges and cooperation in green development, smart agriculture, e-commerce, and people-to-people exchanges.
Since the launch of Belt and Road cooperation in 2013, Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have played a proactive active role in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. Also Central Asian countries have become the demonstration zone for transformation, connectivity and cooperation created by the Belt and Road.
Thus this event provided a platform for China and Central Asian countries to explore more areas in cooperation.
According to organizers, some 35 agreements with a total worth of 11.2 billion yuan ($1.57 billion) were signed at the 11th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, held every year to bolster cooperation under the Silk Road spirit of mutual benefit.
The major projects for cooperation agreements covered trade, agriculture and sister city cooperation.
Ningxia, with a population of over 7 million, also plays a key role in the BRI.
Speaking about the the 11th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, Golib Nematov, an official from Uzbekistan’s Samarkand region, called the forum a “very good platform” for cooperation and dialogue. “It has created a lot of opportunities for us. I hope we can continue and deepen this kind of cooperation model,” he said.
Nematov further said this was his second visit to Ningxia, and that both sides have been working together in many areas such as agriculture, logistics, construction, and tourism. “I found that Ningxia pays great attention to green development and, hopefully, we can further expand our cooperation in this area,” he added.
Central Asia is an important trade partner and source of tourists for Ningxia. In the past decade, the autonomous region’s total imports and exports with the five countries reached 1.89 billion yuan.
Ningxia boasts a strategic location in the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and has strength in agriculture and new energy as well as rich experience in poverty alleviation, said Wu Yingqin, executive director of the secretariat of the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism.
“This forum could provide the region with a lot of opportunities to work with Central Asian countries. They are very interested in smart agriculture, photovoltaic power, and the Fujian-Ningxia model of poverty alleviation,” Wu added.
Established in March in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, the secretariat aims to make preparations for the China-Central Asia summit, promote the implementation of the consensuses reached by the heads of state of the six countries, and serve the foreign ministers’ meeting and the cooperation mechanism in key areas.
The 11th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum was themed “Promoting Green Development and Building a Common Home”, and attracted more than 300 Chinese and foreign representatives. It featured subforums on industrial green development, modern agriculture, and technological innovation, sister city cooperation and cultural exchange, and regional cooperation.
Under the Belt and Road, China has expanded cooperation partnerships with Central Asia states by building energy corridors, laying new trade routes, and constructing the road-rail logistic network with Europe.
The China-Central Asia win-win cooperation projects, successfully completed in the multiple sectors, reflect the milestone significance of Belt and Road Initiative aimed for the revival of the Silk Road.
According to many reports, many cooperation projects launched between China and the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI have produced fruitful results, helping these countries improve their infrastructure, build trade links, and improve public well-being.
China Affairs experts believe that China is not only focused on its own development but is also directly contributing to the successful development of other countries and peoples.
China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum 2024 exemplifies the enduring bonds of friendship and cooperation between nations, especially as China continues to engage globally through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
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