Xi chairs milestone summit, hails new era of China-Central Asia ties

CLOSER COOPERATION

The summit has been lauded for creating a new platform and opening up new prospects for China-Central Asia cooperation.

In his speech, Xi made an eight-point proposal for strengthening cooperation, ranging from expanding economic ties to promoting cultural exchanges and safeguarding regional peace.

China proposes the establishment of meeting and dialogue mechanisms on industry and investment, agriculture, transportation, emergency response, education, and political parties, Xi said.

More trade facilitation measures will be rolled out and bilateral investment treaties will be upgraded to push two-way trade to new heights, he said, pledging to support the development of the trans-Caspian international transport corridor and encourage capable enterprises to build overseas warehouses in Central Asian countries.

China will formulate a cooperation program for poverty reduction through science and technology, Xi said. Chinese companies in Central Asian countries will be encouraged to create more local jobs. China will provide Central Asian countries with a total of 26 billion yuan (about 3.7 billion U.S. dollars) in financing support and grants.

China is ready to help Central Asian countries strengthen capacity building on law enforcement, security and defense in an effort to safeguard peace in the region, Xi said, adding that efforts should be made to leverage the role of the coordination mechanism among Afghanistan's neighbors, and jointly promote peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan.