Senior officials and experts in Kazakhstan said they are expecting new opportunities for promoting collective development and prosperity to emerge from the second China-Central Asia Summit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Kazakhstan's capital city of Astana on Monday to attend the second China-Central Asia Summit, where he will deliver a keynote speech.
It is the first time that the China-Central Asia Summit is being held in a Central Asian country.
"As is widely known, President Xi Jinping first proposed [a key component of] the Belt and Road Initiative (the idea of building the Silk Road Economic Belt) at Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University. Kazakhstan is also deeply involved in the initiative, which has helped Kazakhstan greatly enhance its potential in transit logistics and diversify its trade structure. In an era which is full of uncertainties with frequent economic frictions and escalating trade barriers, we should intensify efforts in deepening cooperation and upholding principles including pragmatism, equality and sustainability. The second China-Central Asia Summit will open up new development prospects for us," said Magzum Mirzagaliyev, an adviser to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
At the summit, China and five Central Asian countries will consolidate the foundation of mutual trust, build consensus for cooperation, deepen the synergy between strategies, upgrade cooperation in various fields, and inject more positive energy into the building of a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
"Central Asia is getting closer and closer to China. The mental boundaries formed previously due to culture, history or other factors are fading away. We clearly recognize that we are all parts of the same macro civilization space. Therefore, the achievement of peaceful and harmonious coexistence and the implementation of constructive interaction and cooperation on the vast Eurasian continent are highly consistent with the cultural traditions of Kazakhstan, and resonate powerfully with the diplomatic strategies of countries in Central Asia. Against this backdrop, the idea of establishing a community with a shared future in Central Asia through the China-Central Asia Summit mechanism serves the strategic interests of Central Asian countries and China," said Miras Zhiyenbaev, an adviser to the chairman of the Board for International Affairs and Initiatives at Maqsut Narikbayev University.
"The significance of the second China-Central Asia Summit is that it will provide new opportunities for further cooperation between China and Central Asian countries as well as the development of the Central Asian region. The world is seeing more uncertainties, and the global economy has become unpredictable. From an economic perspective, China holds an important status in the global economic landscape, and it is also an important trading and investment partner for Central Asian countries. So, Central Asian countries are strongly willing to expand economic and trade cooperation with China," said Azamat Nurseitov, chief researcher at the Institute of Economic Research of Kazakhstan.
Kazakh observers expect development opportunities at China-Central Asia Summit
