By Guan Zhongya
China and the countries of central Asia have a
3,000-year-plus history of friendly exchange - in ancient times,
their peoples communicated through the “Silk Road” and they have
maintained strong ties since.
China was among the first countries to recognize
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
when they declared independence after the dissolution of the Soviet
Union in 1991. Through the intervening years, good-neighborliness
and cooperation have grown.
?High-level officials pay each other frequent
visits to maintain mutual trust and understanding, and the Chinese
president and premier have met with their counterparts annually
since the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was set up in
2001.
China shares more than 3,000 kilometers of border
with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and longstanding
boundary disputes were resolved with all three soon after their
independence.
As developing countries, all five nations share a
lot of common interests with China, and their economies are highly
complementary. Trade volume has been rising fast, exceeding US$4
billion in 2003 - nine times 1992’s figure.
China’s investment in the region has surpassed US$1
billion since the establishment of diplomatic relations, including
in large-scale projects like the development of Kazakhstan’s Aktobe
Munaigas oilfield.
China supports their membership of the WTO, while
they agree on the issues of Taiwan, Tibet and East Turkistan. With
respect for the different social systems and development models
chosen by each, China and the nations of central Asia are equal
friends and partners in international affairs.
China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Russia created the SCO three years ago, injecting
new vigor into regional cooperation. Since then, security and
economic cooperation has boosted regional stability and
development. In June of this year, the SCO anti-terrorism agency
was established in Tashkent to help coordinate the fight against
terrorism, separatism and extremism in a more effective way.
At that time, President
Hu, while addressing the Uzbekistan parliament, described China’s
priorities in the region as: first, deepening good-neighborliness
and friendliness and promoting mutual political trust and building
all-round and high-level relations; second, enhancing security
cooperation, safeguarding regional stability and fighting those
harming regional peace and security; third, adhering to the
principle of reciprocity and mutual benefit, promoting practical
cooperation, expanding mutual investments and lifting the overall
level of economic and trade cooperation; fourth, expanding cultural
exchanges, consolidating traditional friendships and promoting
mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence among the people of
each country.
The author is
a Chinese specialist in Central Asia Studies.
(China.org.cn,
translated by Chen Chao, November 15, 2004)