Last week, wrapping up his November 19-22 visits to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told the media that the Chinese mainland is poised to deepen win-win cooperation with Central Asian neighbors.
Wang, who also serves on the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, highlighted how Beijing's high-quality development drive and high-standard opening up will unlock fresh opportunities for the region.
Looking ahead to 2026, he outlined the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) as a chance to forge an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
He noted strong interest from the three countries in learning from the Chinese mainland's governance model and praised their support for President Xi Jinping's major proposals: the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative.
On trade and investment, Wang shared that in the first three quarters of this year, two-way trade between the Chinese mainland and the five Central Asian countries reached nearly $80 billion, up 15.6 percent year on year, and is expected to surpass $100 billion by year's end. He added that total mainland investment in the region has topped $50 billion to date.
People-to-people exchanges are also booming: travelers from Central Asia to the Chinese mainland jumped 37.7 percent, while those heading from the mainland to Central Asia climbed 50 percent in the first three quarters of this year.
Wang emphasized that, unlike other regional frameworks, China-Central Asia cooperation rests on neighborly ties, mutual needs and consensus-driven, condition-free partnerships that uphold equality, trust and shared security.
Reference(s):
Wang Yi says China to advance common development with Central Asia
cgtn.com
