China-Central Asia cooperation brings common development

JINAN -- Wang Baohua recently traveled to the China + Central Asia (C+C5) industry and investment cooperation forum in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, to find a supplier of nuts and seeds from Central Asia.

"I'm here looking for a Central Asian supplier with the freshest nuts," said Wang, manager of Jingxiang Food Technology Co., Ltd., which produces mainly sesame paste and other condiments in the city of Heze, Shandong Province.

Through comparison, Wang said he found that sunflower seeds and sesame seeds from Central Asia are of the top grade and have suitable prices. For years, the company has purchased Central Asian products on the domestic market. "We purchased three tonnes last month," he said.

This year, demand has surged as the company plans to increase its production capacity tenfold. He hopes to build direct business relations with Central Asian suppliers, and plans to open a factory and carry out technical cooperation in Central Asia.

A great variety of Central Asian products have entered the Chinese market, including camel milk from Kazakhstan, honey from Kyrgyzstan, dried fruits from Tajikistan, cotton from Turkmenistan, and cherries from Uzbekistan.

China and the five Central Asian countries held the first-ever C+C5 industry and investment cooperation forum on Thursday and Friday, eyeing greater cooperation in sectors such as the digital economy, energy and agriculture.

China has become an important economic partner for the Central Asian countries, Lin Nianxiu, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at the forum. "As the Belt and Road Initiative has become a popular international public good and platform for international cooperation, deep exchanges and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries are being strengthened."

Lin said that China's trade with the five Central Asian countries totaled 70.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, increasing about 100 times over the 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Stable direct investment has effectively improved the resilience of regional industrial and supply chains, and greatly promoted regional economic development, Lin said.

"In the new era, both China and Central Asian countries have a strong desire for cooperation," said Zhang Dong, deputy director of the management committee of the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA).

SCODA has established a comprehensive services platform supporting cooperation between China and other SCO members, providing one-stop services such as trade, customs clearance, logistics and finance.

China and Central Asian countries share a super-large market, which is conducive to promoting the two-way flow of resources and achieving win-win development, according to Zhang Dong.

"The demand for our products, such as photovoltaic energy storage equipment, continues to grow in the Central Asian countries," said Zhang Hao, general manager of smart energy storage equipment supplier Qingdao Nengfeng Electric Co., Ltd.

In his view, expanded cooperation between China and Central Asian countries will build an even larger platform for domestic enterprises to seek further development.

China and Central Asia have built effective cooperation mechanisms, with frequent interaction and fruitful results in investment and trade, production capacity, science and technology, and talent exchanges.

Zhang Yao from the China-SCO Technology Transfer Center believes that expanded industrial investment and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries will help both sides improve their industrial systems and advanced technology.

"The two sides have huge cooperation space as Central Asian countries have a strong desire to seek cooperation in fields like energy and agriculture, and many Chinese enterprises are ready to offer technological support," Zhang Yao said.

Kuanysh Amantay, the chief representative of Kazakh Invest in China, also expressed confidence in China-Central Asia cooperation. "We believe that China and Central Asian countries will enjoy an even brighter future of common development," he said.