China and Central Asian countries aim to build a closer shared community: China Daily editorial

The virtual summit commemorating the 30th anniversary of the founding of diplomatic relations between China and five Central Asian countries that President Xi Jinping chaired in Beijing on Tuesday conveys a strong signal that the region will leave no crevice in which a wedge can be driven.

The unrest sweeping Kazakhstan earlier this month has undoubtedly prompted China to review the stability of Central Asia and its cooperation with the region from a geostrategic perspective.

The region that consists of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is a security screen for Northwest China against the infiltration of separatists, extremists and terrorists into China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The region also directly concerns China's energy security as it is a main source of natural gas and other resources, and it is also an indispensable part of the Silk Road Economic Belt, that links China with Europe and the Middle East.

Due to the comparatively weak foundation for the development of the Central Asian countries, their economic structures are relatively simple and their resistance to risks and uncertainties is weak. At the same time, the region's geopolitical importance makes Central Asian countries key targets for the meddling of the West, as controlling the region means having a base from which to poke both China and Russia in the back at the same time.

That explains why the United States has never ceased its efforts to incite "color revolutions" and embed proxies in these countries since the 1990s. It is the only country that opposed Kazakhstan seeking help from the Collective Security Treaty Organization that subdued the recent unrest in the country.

The joint statement issued after the meeting marks the start of a new chapter for the China-Central Asia community with a shared future, a framework under which the two sides aim to upgrade their multilateral cooperation in security, the economy, trade and pandemic prevention and control.

The DNA code that binds this community together is their upholding of mutual respect, good neighborliness, friendship, solidarity and mutual benefit, which will also guide future relations as they work to establish the region as a key part of a high-quality Silk Road Economic Belt and strengthen its protective shield capabilities.

The complementarity between China's economy and the economies of the five countries provides huge space and potential for them to expand their pragmatic cooperation that will bring tangible benefits to their peoples. And the historical cultural and human bonds between them have laid a solid foundation on which to further deepen their mutual trust and strengthen their people-to-people exchanges.

A stable, prosperous and united Central Asia serves all peace-loving parties' interests, and should be welcomed by the international community.