On 18 October 2019, the 7th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum was held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The forum was co-hosted by the Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation Committee (GNFCC) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the People's Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Mr. Lu Xinshe, Secretary of the CPC Guangxi Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region delivered a welcome speech at the opening ceremony. Mr. Shen Yueyue, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China and Chairperson of the GNFCC of SCO, Mr. Davlatali Said, First Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan, Mr. Zamirbek Askarov, Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan and Mr. Vladimir Norov, Secretary-General of SCO attended and addressed the opening ceremony. More than 600 people attended the event, including officials of diplomatic mission of Central Asian, Transcaucasian and ASEAN Member States in China, representatives of SCO and research institutions, as well as experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from home and abroad. After the opening ceremony, four parallel forums themed “Cross-border Logistics and E-commerce Cooperation on the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor”, “Cooperation on Smart Cities”, “Cooperation on Beidou System” and “Pool Women’s Strength to Jointly Build the Belt and Road” were held.
Mr. Guo Chuanwei, Director of the Trade and Investment Division of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) was invited to attend the opening ceremony and the parallel forums.
With the theme of “Seeking Cooperation by Land and Sea, Promoting Developments by Innovation”, participants shared their opinions and insights. Mr. Lu Xinshe said that Guangxi was ready to give full play to the newly formed China-Central Asia Multimodal Transport Alliance, China-Central Asia Smart City Cooperation Network and other platforms, work together with all parties to build the New Land-Sea Corridor and share opportunities for common development by strengthening practical cooperation on scientific and technological innovation, port logistics, digital economy, e-commerce, artificial intelligence and big data.
Mr. Shen Yueyue emphasized that China and Central Asia are good neighbours that enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges, enhanced political mutual trust and frequent high-level exchanges. The two sides have always supported each other on major issues concerning each other's core interests and have made fruitful achievements in BRI cooperation. China will continue to deepen policy communication, promote practical cooperation and land-sea connectivity, and uphold regional security and peace for common development and prosperity.
Mr. Davlatali Said pointed that China has become the most important trading partner and source of investment for Central Asian countries. The two sides should continue to improve the cooperation mechanism, promote new projects in the field of information technology, and consolidate the foundation for cooperation, so as to improve the quality of economic development and the living standards of people in the region.
Mr. Zamirbek Askarov said that Kyrgyzstan supports the global and regional integration and offers plenty of business opportunities. Kyrgyzstan is willing to make long-term efforts to provide enabling environment for investors and expand friendly cooperation with Guangxi and other localities in China.
Mr. Vladimir Norov said that it is highly necessary to carry out cooperation between Central Asian countries and China. He suggested that the two sides should continue to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, digital information, transportation, logistics and tourism, so as to improve the overall development level of Central Asian countries.
The China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum is jointly organized by the GNFCC of SCO and one of Chinese provincial governments in accordance with the cooperation themes determined each year. This year, the forum was held in Guangxi, aiming to promote the connection of the Belt and Road cooperation and build an effective platform for China, Central Asian, Transcaucasian and ASEAN countries to enhance mutual understanding, expand cooperation and speed up the building of the New International Land and Sea Corridor. The GNFCC of SCO has agreed with Gansu Province that the next forum will be held in Lanzhou.