On May 19, following the results of the Summit of the Heads of State “Central Asia – China” in Xi’an, the People’s Republic of China adopted the Xi’an Declaration. This was reported in the press service of the head of the Kyrgyz Republic.
President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed this document.
The leaders of the countries in a warm atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding comprehensively summed up the results of friendly exchanges between the Central Asian states and China, summarizing the experience of multifaceted mutually beneficial cooperation, outlined guidelines for further interaction and deepening cooperation.
In addition, the following documents were signed during the Summit:
– Memorandum of Understanding on Industrial and Investment Cooperation “Central Asia – China”;
– Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening trade and economic cooperation in the “Central Asia – China” format;
– Memorandum of Understanding between the Central Asian States and China on cooperation in the field of digital commerce;
– Memorandum of Understanding on the promotion of cooperation in the field of infrastructure and engineering construction in the format “Central Asia – China”;
– Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the mechanism of the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture “Central Asia – China”;
– Regulations on the work of the mechanism of the meeting of heads of customs services in the format “Central Asia – China”;
– Memorandum of Understanding on technical cooperation in the field of import and export of quarantine of animals and plants between the competent authorities in the format “Central Asia – China”;
– Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the establishment of the Central Asia–China Business Council.
After the signing ceremony, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping made a statement to the media.
Full text of the Xi’an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit
The full text of the Xi’an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit follows:
On May 18-19, 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.K.Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic S. N. Zhaparov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan E. Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan S. G. Berdimuhamedov and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh.M. Mirziyoyev held the first Central Asia-China Summit in Xi’an.
In a warm atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding, the parties comprehensively summed up the results of friendly exchanges between the Central Asian states and China, summarized the experience of multifaceted mutually beneficial cooperation, outlined guidelines for further cooperation and stated the following:
1. The parties agree that the development of fruitful multifaceted cooperation between the Central Asian States and China meets the fundamental interests of all countries and their peoples. Against the backdrop of unprecedented changes in a century, the Parties, based on favorable prospects for the peoples of the region, confirm their desire to jointly create a closer community of a common destiny of Central Asia and China.
2. The Parties declare that within the framework of the current Summit, a mechanism for meetings of the heads of State of Central Asia and China is officially being created. The summit will be held every two years alternately in China on the one hand, and in one of the Central Asian states in alphabetical order on the other hand. The sides expressed their readiness to fully implement the strategic leadership role of the diplomacy of the leaders of the states, to strengthen comprehensive planning at the highest level for the development of relations between the Central Asian states and China.
The Parties promote the formation of the Central Asia-China format, and as soon as possible will create a mechanism for meetings at the ministerial level of key and priority areas of cooperation, fully utilize the role of the foreign ministries of each state, consider the possibility of establishing a Central Asia-China Secretariat in order to comprehensively promote cooperation between the Parties and the functioning of appropriate mechanisms.
3. The Parties confirm their support for the protection of each other’s fundamental interests in the spirit of mutual understanding. China firmly supports the path of development of the Central Asian States, efforts to protect national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as their independent, independent foreign and domestic policies.
China supports the dynamic processes of regional cooperation in Central Asia, highly appreciates the mechanism of Consultative Meetings of the Heads of Central Asian States as a key factor in ensuring security, stability and sustainable development of the region, as well as the significant contribution of the Central Asian States to the cause of peace and development in the region and around the world.
The Central Asian states highly appreciated the unique experience of the Chinese Communist Party in public administration, and confirmed the great importance of the path of Chinese modernization for the development of the whole world. The parties confirmed the unwavering observance of the “one China” principle.
4. The parties are united in the fact that ensuring state security, political stability and constitutional order is of key importance, and strongly oppose attempts to discredit the legitimate state power and provoke “color revolutions”, as well as interference in the internal affairs of other countries in any form and under any pretext.
The parties emphasize that democracy is a common aspiration and value of humanity. The independent choice of the development path and management model concerns the sovereignty of each country and is not subject to intervention.
The sides noted the importance of contacts and ties between legislative bodies to promote global cooperation in ensuring peace, security and stability.
5. The Parties highly appreciate the importance of the initiative of joint construction of the “One Belt and One Road” for the development of international cooperation. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Initiative as a new starting point, the Parties express their readiness to strengthen its harmonization and integration with the initiatives and national development strategies of the Central Asian states, including the New Economic Policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Nurly Zhol”, the National Development Program of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2026, the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period up to 2030,
The “Revival of the Great Silk Road” of Turkmenistan and the Development Strategy of the New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, strengthen practical cooperation in various fields in order to form a new architecture of cooperation characterized by a high level of complementarity and mutual benefit.
6. The parties note the huge potential of trade and economic cooperation between the Central Asian states and China, express their readiness to use the role of the Meeting of Ministers of Economy and Trade “Central Asia – China”, comprehensively increase trade volumes, reveal the potential of the mechanism “Dialogue and Cooperation in the field of e-commerce”, as well as to intensify cooperation in new industries, in particular including in digital commerce and the green economy.
The parties express their readiness to improve the quality and level of trade and economic cooperation, consistently promote mutual trade, promote diversification of the structure of trade turnover and constantly simplify trade procedures.
The parties emphasize the importance of developing a joint Strategy for the New Economic Dialogue “Central Asia – China”, which provides for the adoption of targeted measures to ensure unhindered trade and increase the volume of finished products from Central Asian countries to China, the formation of a common space of industrial cooperation.
The parties expressed their readiness to promote the development of cooperation in the field of infrastructure construction and engineering construction, to increase the interconnectedness of digital and green infrastructure, to combine efforts for the sustainable development of cooperation in the field of infrastructure construction and engineering construction. The parties are ready to consider the possibility of creating a Database of priority green investment projects.
The parties announced the establishment of the Central Asia-China Business Council and expressed their readiness to support trade promotion institutions, chambers of commerce and interested organizations in strengthening cooperation in the fields of trade and investment in order to make a greater contribution to the development of trade and economic cooperation between the Central Asian states and China.
The parties intend to regularly hold the Forum of Industrial and Investment Cooperation “Central Asia – China”, to continue work on updating investment cooperation agreements between the Central Asian states and China, to encourage the expansion of industrial cooperation, to increase the level of development in this area, to ensure the stability and efficiency of production and supply chains, to create joint value chains, to stimulate the increase of stability, fairness, transparency and sustainability of its policy to attract foreign to form a more attractive and business investment climate on market conditions.
7. The parties agreed to gradually increase the number of flights and consider the possibility of developing and introducing measures to simplify mutual business trips, including the issuance of a card for business trips “Central Asia – China”, as well as to intensify the modernization of the infrastructure of checkpoints, to study the issue of opening new checkpoints, to spread the practice of “express corridor” for customs clearance of agricultural and food products at all border crossings, to increase the interconnectedness of “single windows” in international trade, to improve the business environment at checkpoints, to promote interaction to simplify customs clearance and actively develop the logistics network in the region.
The parties emphasize the need to raise the status of Central Asia as one of the most important trans-Eurasian transport hubs, to intensify the development of the China-Central Asia transport corridor, the development of multimodal transit transport in the directions of China-Central Asia-South Asia, China-Central Asia-Middle East, China-Central Asia-Europe, including including on the China-Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran route and trans-Caspian routes using the seaports of Aktau, Kuryk and Turkmenbashi, as well as the transit and transport capabilities of the city of Termez.
The parties will jointly develop transport infrastructure, including the construction of new and modernization of existing railways and highways from China to Central Asia.
The parties note the importance of completing the feasibility study of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project and promote the early launch of its construction, as well as note the importance of the construction of the Kazakh-Chinese Ayaguz-Tachen railway, ensuring the smooth functioning of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway, regular operation of the China-Tajikistan-Uzbekistan highway and highways “Western China – Western Europe”.
The parties noted the importance of working out optimal opportunities for the transit of products from Central Asian countries to the markets of Southeast Asia and other Asian countries and in the opposite direction.
The parties will take effective measures to increase cargo turnover, including measures to increase the volume of movement of goods at joint border checkpoints in order to form an all-encompassing, multimodal, multilevel, environmentally friendly and sustainable transport infrastructure system between China and the Central Asian states.
8. The Parties express their readiness to use the potential of cooperation in the field of agriculture, including to promote the development of trade in crop and livestock products. The Chinese side is ready to expand the range of imports of agricultural products from Central Asian countries to the Chinese market.
The parties will intensify efforts in the development of “smart” agriculture, exchange of experience on the introduction of water-saving, green and other highly efficient technologies and best practices in this area.
The parties agreed to intensify the exchange of technologies and specialists in the reclamation of arid, saline and saline soils, water-saving irrigation, pest control, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, strengthen the stress resistance of the agricultural sector with a view to its sustainable development.
The parties welcomed the initiative to hold an International Conference on Food Security in 2023 in Uzbekistan, and also noted the results of the International Conference “Cooperation on Food Security” in the Context of Climate Change, held on March 9-10, 2023 in Ashgabat.
The Parties confirm the need for concerted efforts to ensure food security in a changing climate, and also note the importance of farming in the most environmentally friendly ways that support biodiversity, with optimal use of water and land resources.
The parties note the importance of consolidating efforts to improve policies in the field of poverty reduction, increasing employment and incomes of the population and creating jobs. The parties expressed their readiness to intensify cooperation in this direction through the introduction of effective social support programs for the population, the exchange of specialists and modern methodologies.
9. The parties support the creation of partnership relations “Central Asia – China” on energy development, increasing cooperation along the entire production chain, further expanding cooperation in the field of traditional energy sources, including oil, natural gas and coal, strengthening cooperation in the field of hydropower, solar, wind energy and other renewable sources, deepening cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the implementation of projects using green technologies and clean energy sources, implementation of the concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and joint development.
Noting the need for stable energy supply for the development of trade and investment cooperation, the Parties welcome the acceleration of the construction of the fourth line of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline passing through the territory of the Central Asian states.
The parties noted cooperation in the energy field as an important component of the sustainable development of the region.
The parties noted the initiative to develop a UN Strategy aimed at implementing measures for the development of low-carbon energy, as well as the development under the auspices of the UN of an international Roadmap for the development of hydrogen as one of the priorities in the energy sector.
10. The parties confirm their readiness to strengthen cultural and humanitarian cooperation in such areas as education, science, culture, tourism, archeology and archives, physical culture and sports, mass media and analytical centers, to promote interaction and the establishment of twinning and partnership relations between provinces and regions, to expand the mechanism of youth exchange through new forms of events, to develop cooperation in conducting joint archaeological expeditions, preservation and restoration of cultural heritage, museum exchanges, search for and return of missing and stolen cultural property.
The Chinese side invites the Central Asian states to join the implementation of the Cultural Silk Road project with the aim of bringing peoples closer together.
The parties noted the importance of further cooperation in the field of tourism and the development of a joint tourist route “Central Asia – China”.
The parties are interested in deepening cooperation in the field of healthcare, promoting the construction of centers of traditional Chinese medicine, including in the field of cultivation and processing of medicinal plants for the formation of the “Silk Road of Health”.
The parties note the importance of expanding cooperation on biological safety and preventing the spread of dangerous infectious diseases. In this regard, the Parties express their support for the initiative to create a special multilateral body under the auspices of the UN – the International Agency for Biological Safety.
Emphasizing the importance of developing cultural and humanitarian cooperation and strengthening mutual understanding between peoples, the Parties welcomed the launch of the Year of Culture and Art of the Peoples of Central Asia and China and the Youth Arts Festival “Central Asia – China”.
The parties will support and promote academic and student exchanges, youth festivals, forums and sports competitions.
Interested parties will actively contribute to the establishment of mutual cultural centers. The Chinese side is ready to continue the practice of allocating quotas for government scholarships to Central Asian states, inviting specialized specialists from Central Asia to China for training, refresher courses and exchanges. The parties intend to promote the development of vocational education within the framework of the “Lu Banya Workshops”.
The parties encourage the expansion of cooperation in high-tech areas, such as artificial intelligence, smart city, big data and cloud computing.
11. The Parties reaffirmed their commitment to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, which are the main platform and legal basis for the international community’s joint efforts to counter climate change, stressed the need to comply with the goals, principles and institutional framework enshrined in the Convention and the Paris Agreement, in particular the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, to promote full and the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement with an eye to the formation of a fair, rational, a joint and generally useful global climate management system.
The parties called for closer cooperation in the field of climate resilience and adaptation, emphasizing that the joint application of “green” solutions are designed to serve as effective measures to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.
The parties will strengthen the interaction of the relevant emergency departments, deepen cooperation in the field of disaster prevention, mitigation and elimination of their consequences, industrial safety, search and rescue operations, as well as the exchange of seismic safety technologies.
The Chinese side welcomed the adoption of the Regional Program “Green Agenda” for Central Asia following the results of the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States held on July 21, 2022 in Cholpon-Ata of the Kyrgyz Republic. The parties support cooperation in the implementation of regional programs and projects in the field of “green” technologies.
The parties noted the importance of the adopted resolution “Expanding monitoring and research of mountain glaciers”, presented by the Kyrgyz Republic during the 41st UNESCO General Conference in November 2021, and the resolution of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on declaring 2022 the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, the resolution of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly “Sustainable Mountain Development development”, which announced the Fifth Anniversary of Actions for the Development of Mountain Regions for 2023-2027, and also appreciated the contribution of the High-level Meeting on Sustainable Mountain Development, Held on September 19, 2022 in New York, in strengthening international cooperation on the mountain agenda and its further implementation.
The parties noted the importance of the UN General Assembly resolution “2025 – International Year of Glacier Protection”, presented by the Republic of Tajikistan, and also highly appreciated the holding of the UN Water Conference, which was held on March 22-24, 2023 in New York under the chairmanship of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The parties welcome the initiative to open a regional climate technology center for Central Asia under the auspices of the United Nations in Ashgabat as a platform for technology transfer to adapt to climate change and mitigate its consequences.
The parties noted the importance of the special resolution of the UN General Assembly adopted on the initiative of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the declaration of the Aral Sea region as a zone of environmental innovations and technologies.
The parties noted the initiative to establish a UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
12. The Parties believe that stability, development and prosperity in Central Asia meet the common interests of the peoples of not only the six countries, but also the whole world.
Strongly condemning terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their forms and manifestations, the Parties are ready to jointly fight the “three forces of evil”, drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and cybercrime, exchange experience in ensuring the security of key projects and mass events, as well as maintaining the safe and stable functioning of joint projects of strategic importance, and jointly counter threats security.
The parties took into account the holding of a high-level International Conference on “International and regional cooperation in the field of border security and border control to combat terrorism and prevent the movement of terrorists”, which was held on October 18-19, 2022 in Dushanbe, the Republic of Tajikistan.
The sides confirm the important role of inclusive dialogue in the development of interstate relations and emphasize the importance of Turkmenistan’s initiative to declare 2023 the “International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace”, which is a way to mobilize the world community to strengthen peace and trust.
The sides welcomed the “Samarkand Solidarity Initiative for the Sake of Common Security and Prosperity”, aimed at ensuring peace and stability, broad international cooperation and promoting sustainable human development.
The parties are ready, together with the international community, to continue to assist the people of Afghanistan in maintaining peace and stability, restoring social infrastructure, and integrating into the regional and global economic system.
The sides emphasize the importance of forming an inclusive Government in Afghanistan with the participation of representatives of all ethnic and political groups of Afghan society.
The sides noted the initiative to form an international negotiating Group under the auspices of the UN.
The parties advocate and support the establishment of Afghanistan as a peaceful, stable, prosperous country free from terrorism, wars and drugs.
The parties note the need for joint efforts in the fight against illegal drug trafficking, including by considering the possibility of developing a Joint anti-Drug action Plan with the participation of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
13. The Parties believe that the issue of security and development is acute in the modern world. The Central Asian States highly appreciate and are ready to actively cooperate within the framework of the Global Development Initiatives, Global Security Initiatives, and Global Civilization Initiatives put forward by China, noting their urgent importance for achieving the goals of the UN Agenda in the field of Sustainable development, ensuring world peace and security and promoting the progress of human civilization.
14. The Parties support the development of peaceful, open, secure, shared and orderly cyberspace within the framework of the “Global Data Security Initiative”, emphasize the importance of jointly promoting the “Initiative for Cooperation in the Field of Digital Data Security in the “Central Asia-China” format, negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations on the development of a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes, joint efforts to eliminate challenges and threats to international information security.
15. The parties reaffirm their commitment to strengthening the central role of the UN in ensuring international peace, security and sustainable development, spreading universal values – peace, development, justice, equality, democracy and freedom, and oppose attempts to politicize human rights issues.
The parties reaffirm their commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the inviolability of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. The parties express their determination to firmly defend multilateralism and universally recognized norms of international law and international relations, to ensure international justice and equality, to promote the world order and the system of global governance in line with fair and rational development.
The parties express interest in intensifying dialogue and cooperation within the UN, SCO, CICA and other multilateral associations, rapid exchange of views and coordination of positions on topical regional and international issues.
The Parties recognize the important role of the IAEA in the peaceful use of atomic energy and note the right of each IAEA member State to participate fully in all Agency decision-making processes. In this regard, the Parties support the process of restoring sovereign equality in the IAEA, provided for by the Agency’s Charter, and the entry of Central Asian countries into the relevant regional groups of the IAEA.
The sides express their gratitude to the Chinese side for the high level of organization of the first Central Asia-China Summit.
The parties decided to hold the second Central Asia-China Summit in 2025 in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
A source: https://e-cis.info/news/568/109189/
