Photo: CFP

A launching ceremony of the secretariat of the China-Central Asia mechanism was held in Xi 'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Saturday, aiming to make an important contribution to promoting the building of a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese Foreign Minister sent a congratulatory letter to the secretariat on Saturday, stating that four years ago, the China-Central Asia Mechanism was established. Over the past four years, the mechanism has developed steadily and continuously improved. 

Under the mechanism's advocacy, cooperation between China and Central Asia has rapidly developed, reflecting good momentum of comprehensive advancement, Wang noted.

The launch of the secretariat signifies that the consensus of the leaders has been put into practice, once again demonstrating to the international community our six countries' firm determination to work together for development and promote cooperation side by side, Wang said. 

With the joint support of all parties, the secretariat will operate effectively, and the China-Central Asia mechanism will become stronger and better, delivering more benefits to the people of the six countries and making an important contribution to promoting the construction of a closer China-Central Asia community of shared future, he added.

In May last year, the China-Central Asia Summit was successfully held in Xi'an, elevating the China-Central Asia mechanism to presidential level and ushering in the new era of China-Central Asia cooperation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that guided by the consensus reached at the summit, fruitful results have been achieved as part of ongoing cooperation between China and Central Asian countries. 

Over the past year, trade between China and the five Central Asian countries amounted to almost $90 billion, up by 27.2 percent year-on-year,  a new record high. While cooperation in traditional areas, such as economy and trade , energy and agriculture, is booming, cooperation in emerging areas, such as high tech, green energy and e-commerce, is also gaining momentum, said Lin. 

The capacity of China-Europe freight trains has been enhanced. Major projects including the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway and key section of the China-Tajikistan Highway Phase II project are well underway. Direct passenger flights connecting China and Central Asian countries have increased to 68 with an improving multi-dimensional interconnectivity paradigm.

The first Chinese culture center in Central Asia was launched in Kyrgyzstan, the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan is operating soundly and Confucius Institutes are popular among local people. There are now 80 pairs of sister cities between China and Central Asian countries, added Lin.

These tangible cooperation results showcase the unique advantage and enormous potential of the China-Central Asia mechanism, Lin noted.

Global Times