China's foresight to the China-Central Asia Summit will help the two sides continue to be pioneers in jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative

Beijing, 5 May (Zhongxin Net) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin presided over a regular news conference on 16 May.

A reporter asked: The China-Central Asia Summit will soon be held in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. As the first initiative of the "Belt and Road", Central Asia has achieved fruitful results in high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" between China and Central Asian countries over the past 10 years. Could the spokesperson elaborate more on the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Central Asia? What is the significance of this summit for China and Central Asian countries to promote high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road"?

Wang Wenbin: In September 2013, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech in Kazakhstan and proposed to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt. Central Asia has become the first initiative of jointly building the "Belt and Road" and a benchmark for connectivity.

Over the past 10 years, President Xi Jinping has maintained close exchanges with the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries, personally drawn up a grand blueprint for the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" between the two sides, reached important consensus on promoting the alignment of the "Belt and Road" initiative with the development strategies of the five Central Asian countries, and played a strategic leading role in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" between China and Central Asian countries.

Over the past 10 years, we have jointly implemented a series of major projects that have benefited the people of all countries in the region. The establishment of the China-Kazakhstan Khorgos International Border Cooperation Center and the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base opened the door of Central Asian countries to the Pacific Ocean. The Anglian-Papu railway tunnel, the longest tunnel in Central Asia undertaken by a Chinese enterprise, was successfully completed, ending the history of local people needing to cross mountains or detour other countries to travel. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Wuhan Highway was officially opened to traffic, becoming an unimpeded international transport artery across the mountains. China-Europe trains passing through Central Asia account for nearly 80% of the total number of China-Europe trains, becoming the "steel camel team" galloping across the Eurasian continent. Last year, the total trade between China and the five Central Asian countries exceeded $700 billion, a record high. The solid and heavy achievements of cooperation have laid a solid foundation for China and Central Asian countries to adhere to mutual respect, good-neighborliness and friendship, common help in the same boat, and mutual benefit and win-win results.

The China-Central Asia Summit will be held in Xi'an, which will further consolidate the consensus of China and Central Asian countries on high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and help the two sides continue to be pioneers in jointly building the "Belt and Road". We believe that in Xi'an, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, China and Central Asian countries will ride the east wind of the China-Central Asia Summit to make the ancient Silk Road that has lasted for thousands of years shine with new vitality and make new and greater contributions to building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future. (End)