China-Central Asia trade grew by 100 times over 30 years: ministry

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Trade between China and Central Asian nations has grown by more than 100 times in the past 30 years, said the Ministry of Commerce on Monday.

The stocks of China's direct investment in the five countries in Central Asia exceeded 14 billion U.S. dollars, said Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao at the China-Central Asia trade and business cooperation forum held online.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the five Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

China and the five Central Asia nations continued to deepen economic and trade cooperation, achieving solid and fruitful results over the past three decades, Wang said.

China's Commerce Ministry is willing to work with relevant government bodies in the five countries in Central Asia to enhance cooperation and bring the economic and trade cooperation to a new level, Wang added.