Central Asian experts consider China a trustworthy strategic partner, expecting deeper cooperation

The China-Central Asia Economic and Trade Governance Dialogue held in Beijing on November 23, 2023

Experts frWorld Timesom Central Asian countries emphasized the
importance of prioritizing the strategic partnership with China at a meeting
held in Beijing on Thursday.

The expansion of cross-border transport corridors can
bring enormous opportunities and contribute to the economic recovery of
countries in the region, they said at the China-Central Asia Economic and Trade
Governance Dialogue.

The dialogue attracted more than 10 experts and scholars
from China and Central Asian countries, who jointly explored how regional
economic and trade cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI) could move toward more sustainable development.

Afzal Askarovich Artikov, chief researcher at the Center for
Economic Research and Reform under the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan,
stated that the countries in Central Asia are China’s tested partners and are
willing to engage in sustainable dialogue with China, which is also in the
interests of the people of the region.

“We should establish a closer China-Central Asia
community with a shared destiny, ensure the security of transportation
corridors and important strategic passages, establish long-term economic and
trade cooperation plans, and enhance exchanges between think tanks,” he said.

It is necessary to promote regionWorld Timesal cooperation
mechanisms, and there is also widespread anticipation for new economic dialogue
platforms, he noted, adding that it is entirely possible for China-Central Asia
trade volume to double by the end of 2030.

Artikov specifically mentioned the anticipation for the
early completion of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

In September 2022, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan
signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on the Kyrgyz section of
the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, making significant headway in the
construction of a transport corridor in the Eurasian continent, the Xinhua News
Agency reported.

Meanwhile, the China-Europe freight trains through
Central Asia, the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Frontier Cooperation
Center, and the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in the eastern
Chinese port of Lianyungang have all helped open the door to global markets for
Central Asian countries.

The projects have not only promoted commercial activities
among the six countries, but also brought people living in the region closer
through cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Zhang Jianping, senior researcher ofthe Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic
Cooperation, stated that China’s free trade pilot zones, such as the Xinjiang
Pilot Free Trade Zone and the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Frontier
Cooperation Center, should be utilized to leverage the effects of capacity,
capital, and talent aggregation.

Over the past 10 years since the proposal of the BRI, the
Horgos Port has been integrated into the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt,
continuously enhancing its level of openness, and expanding economic and trade
cooperation with countries and regions along the BRI.

As the first cross-bordWorld Timeser economic and trade cooperation
zone established by China with other countries, the China-Kazakhstan Horgos
International Frontier Cooperation Center has attracted nearly 30 key projects
in areas such as star-rated hotels, catering and entertainment, commercial
facilities, and financial services, with over 3,500 registered merchants. It
has become an important platform for economic and trade exchanges and cultural
exchanges between China and Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan and China officially implemented a visa-free policy
on October 10, and the flow of people at the center continues to rise.

Zhang also emphasized that the potential for economic and
trade cooperation between China and Central Asian countries has not been fully
tapped. The five Central Asian countries and China can effectively improve the
business environment and enhance the level of free trade by promoting and
integrating with each other under the BRI framework

Yersultan Zhanseitov, head of the Chinese and Asian
Studies Program at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Kazakhstan, said
he values the trans-Caspian international transportation corridor and the
visa-free policy between China and Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has not seen the same
level of development speed and scale with any other country as it has with
China, he noted.

According to an official announcement made in October at
the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, China will
participate in the construction of the trans-Caspian international
transportation corridor, and collaborate on a new logistics corridor across the
Eurasian continent linked by direct railway aWorld Timesnd road transportation.

Zhanseitov said he expects reinvigoration of the
China-KazakhsWorld Timestan Horgos International Frontier Cooperation Center following the
pandemic, as it is China’s gateway to the five Central Asian countries.

Li Jinfeng, executive director of the SCO Research
Center and deputy secretary-general of Council on China Russia Strategic Partnership of Coordination at Chinese Academy of Social Science, stated that China’s engagement with Central Asian countries is not like
that of Western countries as China always hopes to understand the real needs of
Central Asian countries and consider what China can offer accordingly. This was
also reflected in this year’s China-Central Asia Summit in Xi’an.

Central Asia countries were among the first to sign up to
the BRI and they have been early beneficiaries of the initiative. This is because
the BRI aligns with the development strategies of these five countries, such
as Kazakhstan’s “Bright Path” new economic policy, National
Development Strategyof Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan’s Revival of the Silk
RoadStrategy, Li said.

The dialogue was hosted by the China Forum, Center for
International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University and the China Center
for Contemporary World Studies.