CHINESE President Xi Jinping will attend the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, from Monday 16 June to Wednesday 18 June, Beijing has announced.
China’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday 13 June that President Xi will attend the summit at the invitation of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The establishment of the China-Central Asia mechanism is a decision unanimously made by China and the five Central Asian countries in conformation to the common expectations of all parties for maintaining regional stability and achieving high-quality development, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a news briefing.
Lin said since the first China-Central Asia Summit was successfully held in Xi’an in May 2023, relations between China and Central Asian countries entered a new era of deepened bilateral cooperation, injecting new impetus into regional development and bringing tangible benefits to the people of the member countries.
Noting that the China-Central Asia Summit will be held in a Central Asian country for the first time, Lin said President Xi will deliver a keynote speech at the summit, and exchange views with leaders of the Central Asian countries on the achievements of the China-Central Asia mechanism, mutually-beneficial cooperation within the framework as well as international and regional hotspot issues. The leaders will jointly attend relevant activities.
During the summit, President Xi will also hold separate meetings with the leaders of the Central Asian countries, Lin added.
“We believe that through the summit, China and the five Central Asian countries will further consolidate mutual trust, build consensus on cooperation, deepen the synergy of strategies, promote the upgrading of cooperation in various fields, and inject more positive energy into building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future,” he further added.
The other four countries of Central Asia are Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
By DELI-SHARON OSO
In Beijing, China
Photo caption
President Xi greeted by his Kazakh counterpart President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the arrival of the Chinese President in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 2 July 2024 for the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and a state visit to Kazakhstan at the invitation of President Tokayev. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)
