Xi to host first China-Central Asia summit this month
President Xi Jinping will host a two-day summit with the leaders of five Central Asian nations next week, Beijing said on Monday. Leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are expected to attend the China-Central Asia Summit from May 18 to 19, said the Foreign Ministry. The presidents of these nations will also visit the country from May 16 to 20, state media quoted the ministry as saying. The summit in the city of Xi'an is the first of its kind, and will focus on strengthening economic and diplomatic ties with Beijing. According to Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, China's trade with the five Central Asian countries reached a historic high of US$70.2 billion in 2022, some 100 times the volume three decades ago, broadcaster CGTN reported. In the first two months of this year, trade between China and the five countries surged 22 percent year-on-year, CGTN said. The nation, the world's second-largest energy consumer, has also invested billions of US dollars to tap natural gas reserves in Central Asia. Beijing adheres to a policy of "good-neighbourliness and friendship" with regard to Central Asia, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said during a meeting with his regional counterparts in Xi'an last month. "All parties reiterated... firm mutual support on issues concerning each others' core interests, stern opposition to external interference in internal affairs, and resolute rejection of... force creating chaos and turbulence in Central Asia," according to a Foreign Ministry report on the meeting. (AFP/Reuters)