China, Central Asian countries to deepen cooperation

China and Central Asian countries have agreed to boost cooperation in various fields, said a press release from the Sixth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Almaty Saturday.

Murat Nurtleu, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeenbek Kulubaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, and Parahat Durdyev, Turkmenistan's Ambassador to China attended the meeting.

The parties will continue to maintain close communication and coordination through diplomatic channels to ensure the complete success and fruitful outcomes of the upcoming China-Central Asia Summit, said the press release.

All sides reaffirmed their firm support for each other on core interests such as sovereignty, independence, security and territorial integrity, and opposed external forces interfering in the internal affairs of countries participating in the mechanism, it said.

The Central Asian countries highly valued and expressed their willingness to actively implement the Global Security Initiative proposed by China, it said.

The parties reaffirmed their support for multilateralism and international trade rules, and expressed opposition to unilateral protectionist practices, it said.

All sides expressed willingness to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and implement mutually beneficial projects in infrastructure construction, digital connectivity and the green economy, according to the press release.

The parties will continue efforts to enhance Central Asia's role in ensuring international energy and food security, developing international transport and logistics routes, and ensuring the smooth supply of key goods, it said.

All parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional and international security, and jointly combating the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism as well as transnational crime, it said.