China deepens its friendship with Central Asian countries

China and the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have agreed to hold the China-Central Asia Summit this month. It is expected to be one of the two key multilateral diplomatic events hosted by China this year, the other being a Belt and Road cooperation forum, and will be held in the city of Xi’an, appropriately the starting point of the ancient silk road.

To prepare well for this meeting, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang hosted his counterparts from the four countries in the same city, April 26-27.

The first day was given over to bilateral meetings. Qin Gang said that:

• China and Kazakhstan have agreed to a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe.
• China and Kyrgyzstan have achieved leapfrog development in their relationship and become comprehensive strategic partners true to the name. 
• China and Tajikistan are ironclad friends.
• China-Uzbekistan relations have reached an unprecedented height.
• China and Turkmenistan have  jointly announced the decision to elevate their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and to practice the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral level.

He stressed that China will, as always, firmly support the Central Asian countries in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, security, and territorial integrity. China also firmly supports the development paths independently chosen by the Central Asian countries in line with their national conditions. China resolutely opposes any external forces interfering in the internal affairs of the Central Asian countries.

The following day, Qin Gang chaired the fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. He said that China and Central Asian countries are good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good brothers sharing weal and woe and went on to note that the world finds itself in a new period of turbulence and transformation. Unity is strength. The more chaotic the world is and the more complex the situation is, the more we need to stay focused, strengthen unity and enhance cooperation.  The two sides should step up the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, and jointly strengthen the regional security net. The two sides should firmly oppose interference in the internal affairs of countries in the region by any forces under any pretext, and make Central Asia a clean land for win-win cooperation rather than a battlefield for geopolitical games.

Following the meeting, Qin Gang briefed the press, explaining that the foreign ministers had reached consensus on five key points:

• Adhering to good-neighborliness and friendship, and working together to ensure the success of the Xi’an Summit.
• Adhering to solidarity and mutual assistance, and enhancing mutual support. 
• Adhering to mutual benefit and win-win results, and advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
• Adhering to sharing weal and woe, and expanding security cooperation.
• Adhering to fairness and justice, and resolutely safeguarding the international order.

The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Qin Gang Holds Talks Respectively with Foreign Ministers of Five Central Asian Countries

On April 26, 2023, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks in Xi’an respectively with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Kulubaev Zheenbek Moldokanovich, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Vepa Hajiyev. The ministers were in China for the fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Qin Gang said that President Xi Jinping and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev have agreed to build a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe. Both sides should take this as fundamental guidance to enable the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership to deliver more benefits to the two peoples.

Qin Gang said that China and Kyrgyzstan have achieved leapfrog development in their relationship and become comprehensive strategic partners true to the name. The two sides should harness the role of the China- Kyrgyzstan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee and strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation. China supports Kyrgyzstan in hosting a successful meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this year.

Qin Gang said that China and Tajikistan are ironclad friends. Last year, President Xi Jinping and President Emomali Rahmon had a successful meeting, during which they reached a series of important common understandings. The two sides should follow through on the common understandings, consolidate political mutual trust, and join hands to promote the building of a development community and a security community between China and Tajikistan.

Qin Gang said that China-Uzbekistan relations have reached an unprecedented height. The two sides should follow the strategic common understandings reached between the two heads of state, continuously move towards the vision of building a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, and strive for more fruitful outcomes in the mutually beneficial cooperation across the board between China and Uzbekistan.

Qin Gang said that at the beginning of this year, President Xi Jinping and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov jointly announced the decision to elevate the China-Turkmenistan relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and practice the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral level. That ushered in a new era of bilateral relations. The two sides should follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, and continuously elevate China-Turkmenistan relations to new heights.

Qin Gang stressed that China will, as always, firmly support the Central Asian countries in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, security, and territorial integrity. China also firmly supports the development paths independently chosen by the Central Asian countries in line with their national conditions. China resolutely opposes any external forces interfering in the internal affairs of the Central Asian countries. China will step up communication and coordination between the two sides within such frameworks as the United Nations (UN) and the SCO, and jointly safeguard the basic norms governing international relations, the UN-centered international system, and international fairness and justice.

Foreign ministers of the five countries said that over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and the five countries have committed themselves to good-neighborliness, friendship, mutual respect, mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation. The relationships have brought benefits to the people of both sides and become a stabilizing anchor and a propeller for regional peace and development. Taking developing relations with China as a priority in their diplomacy, the five countries will follow through on the important common understandings between the heads of state, maintain close high-level exchanges between the two sides, advance Belt and Road cooperation, deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and crack down on the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism, so as to forge the next golden three decades of China-Centra Asia relations. Noting China’s remarkable international influence, they said Chinese modernization will bring new opportunities to Central Asia and the world at large. The five Central Asian countries support the global initiatives and visions proposed by China, support China’s justified position on the Taiwan question and issues related to Xinjiang and Xizang, among others, and oppose politicizing human rights. The five Central Asian countries will work with China to strengthen multilateral international cooperation, and support each other in safeguarding core interests and regional peace and stability. They expressed confidence that the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the next day will be a complete success.

The two sides reached extensive common understandings on deepening and substantiating practical cooperation. Efforts will be made to strengthen cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, investment, connectivity, green agriculture, medical and health care, energy and mineral resources, and cargo transit at ports, as well as at sub-national levels and among sister cities. China and Kazakhstan will take the signing of an agreement on mutual visa exemption as an opportunity to facilitate cross-border travel and set up consulates general in Xi’an and Aktobe, respectively. China will work with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan respectively to open cultural centers in each other’s countries. China and Tajikistan will expand industrial-park cooperation, and fully leverage the strength of the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan, the first of its kind in Central Asia. China and Uzbekistan will advance the building of a comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era, and forge new highlights of cooperation such as poverty reduction and innovation. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will work with China to accelerate the feasibility study of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway. China and Turkmenistan will well plan the Year of Culture events in each other’s country and speed up efforts to establish a traditional medical center in Turkmenistan.

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Qin Gang Chairs the Fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

On April 27, 2023, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang chaired the fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Xi’an. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Kulubaev Zheenbek Moldokanovich, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Vepa Hajiyev were present.

Qin Gang said that China and Central Asian countries are good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good brothers sharing weal and woe. Over the past 10 years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and the heads of state of the five countries, bilateral cooperation has made a series of historic and groundbreaking achievements. Last year, the heads of state of the six countries jointly announced the building of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future, and the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism came into being. Bilateral strategic mutual trust has reached a new level, mutually beneficial cooperation has gained new impetus, friendly exchanges have entered a new stage, and China-Central Asia relations and regional development have shown unprecedented vitality.

Qin Gang said that the world finds itself in a new period of turbulence and transformation. Unity is strength. The more chaotic the world is and the more complex the situation is, the more we need to stay focused, strengthen unity and enhance cooperation. The two sides should continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning respective core interests, and remain to be friends and partners with common aspirations, honesty and mutual trust. Efforts should be made to jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, expand cooperation in new and high technologies, and increase exchanges of governance experience. The two sides should step up the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, and jointly strengthen the regional security net. The two sides should firmly oppose interference in the internal affairs of countries in the region by any forces under any pretext, and make Central Asia a clean land for win-win cooperation rather than a battlefield for geopolitical games. The two sides should work together to build the Cultural Silk Road, cultivate high-quality talents, and expand exchanges and cooperation at sub-national levels and in medical institutions and media. The two sides should step up multilateral cooperation, work together to make the international order more just and equitable, and make China’s and Central Asia’s contributions to jointly building a community with a shared future for mankind and promoting world peace and development.

The foreign ministers made comprehensive political preparations for the upcoming China-Central Asia Summit, saying Central Asia-China cooperation has played an important role in consolidating bilateral strategic mutual trust, accelerating their respective development, promoting connectivity and safeguarding common security, and has set an example for mutually beneficial cooperation among countries. The Summit will surely open a new chapter in Central Asia-China relations and bring new opportunities for Central Asian countries to transform and develop and enhance their influence in the region. They will work closely with China to ensure the success of the Summit. Central Asian countries and China enjoy traditional good-neighborliness and friendship, share similar visions and have a shared future. They look forward to all-round cooperation across the industrial chain and building an authoritative platform for cooperation.

The foreign ministers expressed concerns over the current complex situation and geopolitical conflicts, and stressed the need to build bridges rather than walls. All parties spoke highly of the constructive phone call between President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and held the belief that it would be helpful for an early ceasefire and resumption of peace talks. All parties support China’s proposal to promote peace talks and hold that conflicts should be resolved through diplomatic means in accordance with the spirit of international law. They are ready to strengthen coordination with China and jointly commit to universal security, lasting peace and sustainable development in the region.

After the meeting, the foreign ministers jointly signed and issued the media statement of the meeting.

The China-Central Asia Summit will be held in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province in May.

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Qin Gang Briefs on Consensus of the Fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

On April 27, 2023, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang briefed journalists on relevant situations after chairing the fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Xi’an.

Qin Gang said that the fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting has made comprehensive political preparations for the upcoming China-Central Asia Summit, and the two sides exchanged in-depth views on cooperation between China and Central Asian countries and issues of mutual interest and concern, with a wide range of consensus reached.

First, adhere to good-neighborliness and friendship, and work together to ensure the success of the Xi’an Summit. All parties have agreed to host China-Central Asia Summit in Xi’an next month. This is an important step taken by all the parties to build with resolution a closer community with a shared future between China and Central Asia for the future of the six countries and their people. All the parties will work with concerted efforts to host a splendid event, present the high-level China-Central Asia cooperation to the world, and usher China-Central Asia relations into a new era.

Second, adhere to solidarity and mutual assistance, and enhance mutual support. All parties reiterated their respect for respective choice of a development path suited to their own national conditions, firm mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests, stern opposition to external interference in internal affairs, and resolute rejection of any individual or any force creating chaos and turbulence in Central Asia. The Chinese government firmly supports the sovereignty, independence, security and territorial integrity of Central Asian countries. This position has never changed and will not change.

Third, adhere to mutual benefit and win-win results, and advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. All parties spoke highly of the achievements of Belt and Road cooperation between China and Central Asian countries over the past ten years, and said that they will further increase the level of economic, trade, investment and financing cooperation, forge a modern regional connectivity network, promote personnel exchanges, ensure smooth cargo transportation, expand cooperation in such fields as agriculture, new energy, e-commerce, and digital economy, and enhance cultural and people-to-people and sub-national exchanges, so as to further invigorate and substantiate cooperation between the six countries and further contribute to the development and rejuvenation of the six countries.

Fourth, adhere to sharing weal and woe, and expand security cooperation. All parties held the view that currently, the complex and changing situation in Central Asia has brought new challenges to the development of the six countries. The six countries are resolute in making greater efforts to crack down on the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism, illegal drug trafficking, and multinational organized crime and cyber crime, strengthen communication and coordination on the Afghan issue, and jointly safeguard regional peace and tranquility.

Fifth, adhere to fairness and justice, and resolutely safeguard the international order. China and Central Asian countries share the same or similar positions on major international and regional issues, and will keep close collaboration within such multilateral institutions and frameworks as the United Nations (UN) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and other recognized norms of international law, practice true multilateralism, and make China-Central Asia contribution to promoting the reform of the global governance system and building a human community with a shared future.