On November 25, 2022, containers are reloaded at the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province. Wang Jianmin / FOR CHINA EVERY DAY
Both sides have made historic achievements in communications, trade and political communication
More than 2,100 years ago, Zhang Qian set out from Xi'an, a city in northwest China, as an envoy of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). He faces an uncertain world and travels west across rugged terrain to Central Asia.
The birthplace of the Belt and Road Initiative is Central Asia. On September 7, 2013, President Xi Jinping gave a speech at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, proposing for the first time the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt.
In the past 10 years, under the strategic leadership of Xi Jinping and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries, the cooperation between the two sides has produced a series of historic and revolutionary results.
In January of last year, a virtual summit was held to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the countries of Central Asia, forming a mechanism for cooperation between China and Central Asia.
Last September, Xi Jinping attended the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and paid state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Over the past 10 years, five Central Asian countries have actively participated in the construction of the Belt and Road, and Central Asia has become a demonstration zone of Belt and Road cooperation.
China and Central Asian countries have strengthened the convergence of development strategies and actively promoted political communication, infrastructure connectivity, uninterrupted trade, financial integration and people-to-people ties.
KAZAKHSTAN
In February last year, President Xi Jinping and Kazakh President Tokayev decided to jointly create a 30-year golden period in China-Kazakhstan relations, charting a course for the long-term development of bilateral relations.
Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Treuberdi said that Kazakhstan is willing to cooperate with China to eagerly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and start a new golden 30th anniversary of bilateral relations. Kazakhstan has introduced a 14-day visa - China's civil liberties policy, and looks forward to further facilitating people-to-people and cultural exchanges and deepening local exchanges and cooperation.
The China-Europe Railway Express in Central Asia, the China-Kazakhstan Center for International Border Cooperation and the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in Lianyungang have opened the door to the international market for Central Asian countries. Improved connectivity has also encouraged many Chinese companies to invest in the region.
Uzbekistan
Last September, China and Uzbekistan issued a joint statement on the development of comprehensive strategic partnership and comprehensive cooperation between China and Uzbekistan.
The cooperation project of the "Belt and Road" chemical complex changed my country's dependence on the import of polyvinyl chloride and caustic soda, created many new jobs and is of great importance for the economic development of my country.
In March, a convoy of 800 buses manufactured by China's leading bus manufacturer Yutong Bus left for Uzbekistan from Zhengzhou in central China's Henan province. The series includes 500 CNG buses and 300 electric buses and is the largest bus exported from China to Uzbekistan.
Yutong Bus has established a complete after-sales service system, spare parts warehouse and after-sales service team in Uzbekistan to provide better services to customers.
Kyrgyzstan
Tagai Alinbayev, an expert in project monitoring and public relations at the Asian Development Bank's Ministry of Transport of Kyrgyzstan, said that the 433-kilometer Bishkek-Osh highway connects the north and south of Kyrgyzstan and is of strategic importance for the country's development. .
The construction of the road was divided into three phases, two of which were completed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation. The construction of the third phase is underway.
Upon completion of the project, the North-South Highway will become a communication artery connecting the north and south of Kyrgyzstan and an important international traffic channel in Central Asia.
During President Xi Jinping's state visit to Uzbekistan in September last year, the three countries signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on the Kyrgyz section of the China-Kyrgyz railway, and significant progress was also made in the construction of the Eurasian continental transport corridor.
Tajikistan
China and Tajikistan are friendly neighbors and versatile strategic partners, and the strategic leadership of Xi Jinping and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon is the greatest political advantage and a solid guarantee for the development of bilateral relations.
Xi Jinping called for the achievement of more tangible results in Sino-Tajikistan relations, stressing that China is willing to strengthen practical cooperation with Tajikistan, increase imports of high-quality agricultural products from Tajikistan, increase the volume and level of bilateral trade, and promote cooperation in infrastructure, water protection and other areas. management and traffic. , discuss cooperation in green technologies, digital economy, artificial intelligence and other fields and help Tajikistan improve cross-border transport opportunities.
During a meeting with Xi Jinping last September, Rahmon said that Tajikistan is willing to strengthen coordination with China within the framework of the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and the C-C5, deepen cooperation on security and together keep safe. regional security and stability.
In 2011, the Government of Tajikistan and the Chinese company TBEA Energy jointly launched a CHP project with a total installed capacity of 400 MW - the Dushanbe 2 CHP project.
Completed in 2016, the station returned district heating to the citizens of Dushanbe after a 15-year hiatus.
Turkmenistan
After a meeting with Turkmenistan's Foreign Minister Berdimuhamedov, Xi Jinping said that China and Turkmenistan share a common vision, goals and interests, and that the two sides must work together on the path of development and revitalization, make full use of their complementary strengths, utilize the potential of cooperation, and achieve joint development. In Beijing in January.
Turkmenistan is the second largest country in Central Asia and the southernmost of the five republics in the region, it is China's corridor to South Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and other important import and export markets. Enter the Caspian Sea, which is located on the western border of the country.
According to statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Chinese direct investment in Turkmenistan reached 211 million US dollars in 2020. By the end of 2020, China's cumulative direct investment in Turkmenistan was USD 336 million.
The largest export market of Turkmenistan is China, which achieved 76.6 percent of exports in the first quarter of last year. all products. China is also a major investor in natural gas fields and pipelines in Turkmenistan.
The 3,666 km long Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline, also known as the Central Asia-China gas pipeline, runs from Gedayim on the border of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to Khorgos in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in western China. The gas pipeline system and its expansion in both countries enables the transportation of natural gas from Turkmenistan to Shanghai.
Currently, branch D of the gas pipeline is being built with an annual capacity of 30 billion m3. The gas pipeline network from Central Asia and China has a potential annual capacity of 85 billion m3. Turkmenistan is still the largest exporter. Source of export gas.
Facts and figures
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and five Central Asian countries 31 years ago, fruitful cooperation has been achieved in various fields. Here are some key stats:
3,300 kilometers
On the basis of mutual understanding and mutual agreements, China and the countries of Central Asia have thoroughly resolved the border issues left in history, turning the more than 3,300 kilometers long common border into a bond of friendship, mutual trust and cooperation.
70 billion dollars
China has been the largest or main trading partner of Central Asian countries for many years. Last year, the trade exchange between China and Central Asian countries reached a record level, exceeding 70 billion USD, which is 100 times more than 30 years ago.
62 for
There are 62 pairs of sister provinces and municipalities between China and Central Asia, and hundreds of thousands of people visit each other every year, making the friendship between Central Asians more than 2,000 years long. China has promised to increase the number of sister cities from five countries to 100 in the next 5 to 10 years.
80%
By the end of 2022, there will be more than 65,000 China-Europe freight trains, carrying more than 6 million 20-foot loads worth $300 billion. Almost 80% of all trips take place through Central Asia.
57.1 million doses
China has provided 57.1 million doses of vaccines to help five countries fight against COVID-19.
13 Confucius Institutes
Since 2004, China has established 13 Confucius Institutes and 24 Confucius Classrooms in Central Asia, currently enrolling over 18,000 students.
29,885 students
China has become one of the best destinations and countries of first choice for students from Central Asian countries to study abroad. Between 2010 and 2018, the number of Central Asian students studying in China increased from 11,930 to 29,885.
