China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum explores win-win opportunities

XIAMEN -- The 10th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum was held Saturday in Xiamen, a pivotal city along the Maritime Silk Road. With over 400 participants from both domestic and international backgrounds, the event aimed to foster collaborative endeavors and expand the horizons of China-Central Asia cooperation.

The forum is regarded as a tangible step towards implementing the agreements established by the heads of state during the China-Central Asia Summit in May, which heralded a new era of relations between China and the Central Asian nations.

Since its inception in 2012, the forum has consistently expanded the scope of China-Central Asia cooperation, evolving into a crucial platform for fostering regional friendship and promoting mutually beneficial, win-win outcomes.

On Saturday, an innovative new energy bus took center stage in the China-Central Asia cooperation exhibition area, attracting a continuous stream of guests and merchants eager to experience this cutting-edge vehicle. The bus is a new product from Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co., Ltd., a prominent bus manufacturer in China.

Thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the company has successfully exported more than 1,000 buses to Central Asian countries over the past decade. In March, a total of 200 Golden Dragon BRT buses left Xiamen for Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, marking China's inaugural export of 18-meter-long BRT buses to Uzbekistan.

"The green industry holds immense market potential in Central Asian countries," said Liu Zhijun, chairman of the company. He further noted that the company's next objective is to align the market interests with Central Asian nations in the realms of new energy and other sectors, aiming to support local sustainable development and boost mutually beneficial outcomes.

Collectively capitalizing on the prospects offered by green and digital advancements, and advancing the high-quality development of Belt and Road cooperation, has emerged as a shared consensus among the participants of this forum.

"The Silk Road, an ancient trade route that connected our civilizations, once acted as the bridge for cultural and economic exchanges," said Solehzoda Ashurboy, first deputy minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan. "Today, as we stand at the crossroads of a new era, we are reminded of this shared history and look forward to forging a path that is equally significant and enduring."

With BRI, China and Central Asian countries have achieved full connectivity, fostering a deepening cooperation that continually yields significant results, thereby effectively enhancing regional economic and social development. During this forum, many participants expressed their aspirations to further strengthen this interconnection, ushering in fresh opportunities and prospects for China-Central Asia collaboration.

Fang Qiuchen, president of the China International Contractors Association, said that the increasingly seamless land and sea connectivity serves as a catalyst for expanding industrial cooperation between the two sides.

He believes that the ongoing efforts to enhance international transport facilitation and gradually refine the connectivity mechanisms and systems will inject vitality into bilateral industrial cooperation and pave the way for mutually beneficial outcomes.