China and Five Central Asian Countries Jointly Respond to COVID-19... "Will Expand Cooperation"

The King, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of China's diplomacy
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] China has agreed to jointly respond to the COVID-19 situation with Central Asian countries that are friendly to China.

On the 12th, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister, met with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Xi'an, Shanxi Province. After the meeting, they issued three statements on COVID-19 response, regional cooperation expansion, and the Afghanistan issue.

The countries, agreeing to strengthen cooperation for COVID-19 prevention, stated in the joint declaration that identifying the origin of COVID-19 is a scientific matter and should be conducted through cooperation among global scientists and on a multinational basis. They opposed vaccine nationalism and immunity barriers and emphasized the need to establish an efficient public health system.

In addition, they announced regional cooperation focusing on simplifying cross-border cargo movement and sharing experiences in the development of small and medium-sized cities and rural areas. China and the five Central Asian countries reached a consensus to establish agricultural cooperation centers for sharing advanced agricultural technologies, as well as Silk Road Archaeological Cooperation Research Centers and Traditional Medicine Centers.

Regarding the daily bomb attacks occurring in Afghanistan, where the U.S. military withdrawal has officially begun, they emphasized that the withdrawal of foreign troops must be conducted responsibly and orderly, and pledged to support and assist peace reconstruction.

Immediately after the meeting, Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference, "This was the first multilateral foreign ministers' meeting hosted by China since COVID-19, fully demonstrating the high level of China-Central Asia relations."

Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at the regular briefing that day, "China will expand cooperation in various fields in harmony with the development strategies of Central Asian countries," and added, "We believe that the relationship between China and the five Central Asian countries will develop anew."