Focus on Arts and Ecology

May 19, 2023 

China and the five nations of Central Asia have charted a new blueprint for relations at a milestone summit in Xi'an.

It was no coincidence that the northwestern Chinese city was chosen to host the two-day meeting. More than 2,100 years ago, a Han Dynasty envoy set off from Chang'an, now Xi'an, to open the door to exchanges between China and the people to its west.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was joined by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In his keynote address, Xi told the leaders that the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of their countries must be safeguarded. And he said Central Asia and China should continue taking the lead in Belt and Road cooperation. Here are key quotes from Xi's speech. You can also read the full text. Two experts discuss the significance of the summit here.  

All six leaders signed the Xi'an Declaration in which they pledged to build a closer community with a shared future. They also agreed to increase people-to-people exchanges. And the two sides, China and the Central Asian countries, will take turns hosting biennial summits, with the next one planned for Kazakhstan in 2025.

More headlines:

· Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov flew from Xi'an to Beijing to continue a state visit to China at the invitation of President Xi. The two leaders had a bilateral meeting during the Xi'an summit.

· Xi also held bilateral talks with the presidents of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

· Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is no stranger to China, having studied and worked there for almost a decade. In the lead-up to the summit, he sat down with Wang Guan from CGTN's Leaders Talk program for an exclusive interview.

· One of the agreements emerging from the summit was an increase in student exchanges. Central Asian students in China opened up to CGTN about language, culture and why they love China, and the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative.

(Sources: China Report)