Wang also held separate\u00a0discussions\u00a0with four\u00a0of these Ministers, with China\u2019s Foreign\u00a0Ministry issuing\u00a0these reports\u00a0as follows:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Central Asia comprises five states with a combined population of 77.2 million. Economies have considerable potential to develop, with target GDP, based on purchasing power parity (PPP), estimated using World Bank methodology at an aggregate\u00a0US$900bn, three times today\u2019s nominal value. Uzbekistan has the largest population, with 33.9\u00a0million, and Turkmenistan the smallest at 6.1million. The region is resource-rich, with the Caspian states, Kazakhstan\u00a0and Turkmenistan\u00a0holding huge under-developed reserves of natural gas and oil, and the mountainous Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan home to a wide range of mineral resources and hydro-electric power. Land-locked Uzbekistan has huge agriculture and renewable energy potential. On a collective basis, the \u2018China-Central Asia\u2019 (C+C5) group\u00a0held the following discussions, with subject summaries\u00a0and analysis below:<\/p>\n Wang said China is willing to work with relevant parties to continuously improve the epidemic prevention and control mechanism and conduct telemedicine cooperation to improve public health capacity. A new\u00a0round of vaccine aid and assistance in enhancing the R&D and production of COVID-19 vaccines will also be made available to the group, Wang added.<\/p>\n He also called on China and Central Asia to enhance cooperation in modern agriculture and build a comprehensive agricultural science and technology demonstration park. Central Asia is seen as vital to China\u2019s food security; with the country having 20% of the global population but just 5% of global arable land, while areas of Central Asia, most notably Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are considered regional bread baskets. Increasing yields and developing new, genetically modified strains of wheat and rice as global warming threatens crops will be a key area.<\/p>\n He said China is willing to deepen and strengthen cooperation in climate change and biodiversity conservation and to share its experience in poverty alleviation with these countries.<\/span><\/p>\n Wang stressed the sharing of advanced technology and equipment to help countries in the region push forward the industrial modernization process and cooperation in high-tech fields, including 5G and AI.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should make full use of the geographical advantage to ensure the smooth running of\u00a0China-Europe freight<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/b>trains and the\u00a0China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0and speed up the construction of transnational railways,\u201d Wang noted.<\/p>\n There are several transnational routes planned, including the\u00a0Trans-Afghan railway<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0which would link Uzbekistan and neighboring countries with the Middle East and South Asia through ports in Pakistan, as well as joining\u00a0routes through the\u00a0Ferghana Valley<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0linking China overland to Central Asia and potentially also through to Iran and Turkey.<\/p>\n He also called for the establishment of a green channel for goods to guarantee the safety and stability of the regional industrial and supply chains.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n The Chinese foreign minister told his counterparts that they should work together to form a stable anchor for the region.<\/p>\n Bilateral and multilateral platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia should be relied on to resolutely combat the terrorism and extremism, Wang urged.<\/p>\n He also voiced the necessity of carrying out cooperation in the prevention of transnational organized crime, drug control, cyber security, NGO management, and security of large-scale events and projects.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must firmly support each other in safeguarding national sovereignty and external security, clearly oppose foreign interference, and maintain regional security and stability,\u201d Wang added.<\/p>\n As we\u00a0suggested would occur<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0Wang also discussed China\u2019s position as concerns Afghanistan, which has become a critical position with US and NATO troops set to exit the country by September 11. Wang asked\u00a0Central Asian countries to play a constructive role in this regard, based on their respective geophysical, political and trade advantages with Kabul. Due to the political uncertainty at present surrounding Afghanistan, the country was not represented at this meeting. However, Wang\u2019s calls for each of the C+C5 nations to co-ordinate an approach to secure the country will eventually lead it to joining the grouping.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, although Russia was also not present at this session, it is recognized\u00a0that both Moscow and Beijing are working\u00a0in tandem on an Afghan solution. Wang Yi\u00a0visited the\u00a0Middle East<\/b><\/a>\u00a0nations earlier this year while his Russian\u00a0counterpart Sergey Lavrov visited\u00a0Pakistan<\/b><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0India<\/b><\/a>,\u00a0also key\u00a0players in resolving Afghanistan\u2019s troubles.<\/span><\/p>\n Wang also urged Central Asian nations to deepen exchanges and mutual learning to jointly draw a new blueprint for high-quality development.<\/p>\n Noting Wednesday\u2019s meeting reflects the strength of China\u2019s relations with Central Asian countries, Wang stressed at the press conference that the six foreign ministers\u2019 gathering sends a clear message of friendship and intention to create a future together.<\/p>\n According to Wang, the meeting reached consensus on a wide range of issues with significant outcomes.<\/p>\n He noted the six countries agreed to strengthen strategic mutual trust, make efforts toward building a community of shared future for China and Central Asia, continue to defeat COVID-19 with solidarity and cooperation, promote the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and jointly establish the C+C5 regional cooperation mechanism.<\/p>\n Wang also said China and five Central Asian countries agreed to work together to promote regional security and stability and to safeguard international justice, uphold multilateralism, oppose interference in internal affairs, adding that they will strengthen the building of the regular meeting mechanism of C+C5 foreign ministers.<\/p>\n Wang mentioned the C+C5 had decided upon the establishment of \u201cthree research centers\u201d to carry out cooperation in modern agriculture field, archaeological and cultural heritage research, and traditional medicine.<\/p>\n To promote cooperation in modern agriculture and sharing advanced agricultural technologies.<\/p>\n For conducting archaeological and cultural heritage studies, while boosting cultural exchanges and cooperation.<\/p>\n Undertaking research into local medicinal treatments and promoting traditional medical cooperation.<\/p>\n Wang added the meeting also adopted a Memorandum of Understanding to identify key areas of cooperation and develop a common action plan to provide a stronger institutional guarantee for collective cooperation between China and Central Asia. This is to include three \u2018plans\u2019 as follows:<\/p>\n This calls for building one \u2018Luban Workshop\u2019 in each country in Central Asia over the next three years and developing professionals in different fields. Lu Ban\u00a0(c.\u2009507\u2013444\u00a0BC)\u00a0was a Chinese structural engineer, inventor, and carpenter during the Zhou Dynasty, and is revered as the Chinese patron of\u00a0builders and contractors.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n China will provide another 450 scholarships to the Central Asian countries in the coming three years.<\/p>\n China will provide annual 100-person training class for officials in charge of poverty alleviation in the Central Asian countries in the next three years, in addition to building agricultural science and technology demonstration parks in the five Central Asian countries.<\/p>\n Wang also briefed the press on three joint statements released at the meeting. Referring to the first, he said that all sides called for deepening cooperation on their response to the pandemic, jointly opposing \u201cvaccine nationalism\u201d and \u201cthe gap of immunity.\u201d He said the second statement relates to deepening local cooperation and putting in place subnational cooperation mechanisms, while the third concerns working towards peaceful reconciliation in Afghanistan.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n This article retrieved from: https:\/\/www.silkroadbriefing.com\/news\/2021\/05\/14\/the-china-central-asia-conference-analysis\/<\/a><\/span>, 19 May 2021, 1:31 PM Jakarta Time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
\n<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nBackground<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.silkroadbriefing.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mage2.jpg?resize=500%2C281&quality=90&strip=all&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nCovid-19 Assistance\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Agriculture & Hi Tech<\/b><\/h3>\n
Asia-Europe Transit Routes\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Institutional Developments<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.silkroadbriefing.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Key-Hubs-For-Connecting-Central-South-Asia-1.jpg?resize=900%2C675&quality=90&strip=all&ssl=1\")
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\nAfghanistan\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Mutual Development<\/b><\/h3>\n
China\u2019s Commitments<\/b><\/h3>\n
The China-Central Asia Agricultural Cooperation Center<\/b><\/h3>\n
The Silk Road Archaeological Cooperation Research Center<\/b><\/h3>\n
Traditional Medicine Centers\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
One Country, One Workshop<\/b><\/h3>\n
Educational Training<\/b><\/h3>\n
Reducing Poverty and Benefiting Farmers<\/b><\/h3>\n