China vows to enhance ties with Central Asia

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday pledged his country's efforts to enhance relations with Central Asia.

China and Central Asian nations have constantly been developing strategic partnerships based on mutual respect, good neighborliness, mutual benefit and cooperation, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

The China-Central Asia summit will be held in Xi'an, China, on Thursday and Friday. The event is a significant move taken by China and Central Asian countries to build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future. It will open a new chapter in regional relations and bring new opportunities for individual Central Asian nations, added Dai.

"The world today is now entering a new period of turbulent changes and is facing multiple challenges to international peace and security. More than ever, we need to enhance trust, strengthen solidarity and promote cooperation," he told the General Assembly.

China has expressed its commitment to collaborate with Central Asia in upholding the UN Charter's principles and purposes. The aim is to practice true multilateralism; promote the notion of shared, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security; and develop a security and development approach that aligns with their mutual interests. By doing so, the hope is to construct a peaceful, trustworthy and cooperative zone in Central Asia that will enhance regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.

China is committed to good neighborly ties and firmly supports the sovereignty, independence, security and territorial integrity of Central Asian countries, Dai noted, adding that China welcomes the efforts by Central Asian countries to enhance political mutual trust and jointly address regional security and development challenges through dialogue and cooperation.

China opposes the interference by external forces in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries under any pretext as such moves would create chaos and turmoil and turn Central Asia into a battleground for geopolitical games, he said.

China will work with Central Asia to scale up the fight against the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

China supports Central Asia in strengthening cooperation in border control, law enforcement and security, preventing and combating transnational organized crime and cybercrime, and stepping up communication and cooperation regarding Afghanistan to maintain regional peace and tranquility, he said.

Cooperation between China and Central Asian countries through the Belt and Road Initiative has yielded favorable results, Dai said. China will further enhance collaboration with Central Asian partners in economy and trade, investment and financing. The country will work to build modern regional connectivity networks, expand personnel exchanges, enable smooth transportation of goods and expand cooperation in agriculture, new energy, e-commerce, and the digital economy. Finally, China will enhance cultural and people-to-people and local-level exchanges, he said.

China will continue to expand all-around cooperation with Central Asian countries and advance relations to new heights. The move is expected to make further contributions to the peace, stability, development and the prosperity of the region and world at large, he said.