Highlights from Xi'an summit

China and the five Central Asian countries agreed to a list of out comes for their summit in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on Friday, and the following are the highlights:

• Establish a head-of-state meeting mechanism.

• Establish ministerial-level meeting mechanisms in priority areas, including foreign ministers, economic and trade ministers and ministers of agriculture.

• Study the feasibility of establishing a permanent secretariat of the China-Central Asia Mechanism.

• Step up the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative with the initiatives and development strategies of the five Central Asian countries.

• Formulate a strategy for dialogue on the new economy between China and Central Asia.

• Promote connectivity in digital economy and green infrastructure.

• Upgrade investment agreements between China and Central Asian countries.

• Gradually increase the number of civil aviation and cargo flights between China and Central Asian countries in an orderly manner.

• Study the possibility of introducing a travel card for business travelers as part of the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism.

• Upgrade the facilities of existing ports between China and the five countries.

• A fast lane for customs clearance at border ports will cover all categories of agricultural produce.

• Promote easier customs clearance and one-stop services for international trade.

• Move forward construction of a China-Central Asia transportation corridor, and promote railway transportation.

• Improve transportation infrastructure, including constructing new sections and upgrading existing China-Central Asia railways and roads.

• Complete the feasibility study of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway as soon as possible, and expedite construction of the railway.

• Guarantee the smooth operation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway, and ensure the normal operations of the China-Tajikistan-Uzbekistan highway and the highway connecting western Europe and western China.

• Increase the categories of China's imports of Central Asian agricultural produce, and cooperate on smart agriculture and step up the exchange of experiences on water-saving and green technologies.

• Exchange experiences in agricultural modernization, the establishment of urban and rural production chains and implementation of poverty reduction measures. Enhance cooperation on poverty reduction, including the roll-out of effective social aid policies and conducting exchanges between experts.

• Establish a China-Central Asia Energy Development Partnership, and all sides will ensure the stable operation of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline.

• Carry out cooperation in the field of renewable energy.

• Cooperate through joint archaeological projects, cultural heritage protection and restoration, museum exchanges, and the recovery and return of lost cultural relics.

• China will invite the five Central Asian countries to participate in the implementation of the "Cultural Silk Road" program.

• Study the possibility of jointly formulating China-Central Asia tourism routes.

• Support the initiative to establish an international specialized multilateral biosafety agency under the auspices of the United Nations.

• Promote exchanges between universities and college students, and the two sides will hold youth cultural festivals, forums and sports events.

• China will provide government scholarships to Central Asian countries and organize professionals in related fields to study in China.

• Expand cooperation in high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence, smart cities, big data and cloud computing.

• The six nations will implement green measures to mitigate the impact of climate change.