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

SUMMIT MECHANISM

Speaking at the summit, the Central Asian leaders thanked China for proposing and successfully hosting the first China-Central Asia Summit.

China has become a key force in safeguarding global security and stability and promoting sci-tech and economic development, and cooperation with China is indispensable for countries to achieve sustainable development, the leaders said.

Lauding the summit for steering China-Central Asia relations into a new era, they vowed to better coordinate the development strategies of their respective countries with the Belt and Road Initiative, and to join hands to cope with challenges and achieve win-win cooperation.

Xi and presidents of the five Central Asian countries signed the Xi'an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit and adopted a list of summit outcomes.

They also announced a decision to officially inaugurate the China-Central Asia Summit Mechanism, with the two sides taking turns to host the biennial summit. The next summit will be held in Kazakhstan in 2025.