By Guan Zhongya

 

China and the countries of central Asia have a 3,000-year-plus history of friendly exchange - in ancient times, their peoples communicated through the “Silk Road” and they have maintained strong ties since.

 

China was among the first countries to recognize Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan when they declared independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Through the intervening years, good-neighborliness and cooperation have grown.

 High-level officials pay each other frequent visits to maintain mutual trust and understanding, and the Chinese president and premier have met with their counterparts annually since the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was set up in 2001.

 

China shares more than 3,000 kilometers of border with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and longstanding boundary disputes were resolved with all three soon after their independence.

 

As developing countries, all five nations share a lot of common interests with China, and their economies are highly complementary. Trade volume has been rising fast, exceeding US$4 billion in 2003 - nine times 1992’s figure.

 

China’s investment in the region has surpassed US$1 billion since the establishment of diplomatic relations, including in large-scale projects like the development of Kazakhstan’s Aktobe Munaigas oilfield.

 

China supports their membership of the WTO, while they agree on the issues of Taiwan, Tibet and East Turkistan. With respect for the different social systems and development models chosen by each, China and the nations of central Asia are equal friends and partners in international affairs.

 

China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia created the SCO three years ago, injecting new vigor into regional cooperation. Since then, security and economic cooperation has boosted regional stability and development. In June of this year, the SCO anti-terrorism agency was established in Tashkent to help coordinate the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism in a more effective way.

 

At that time, President Hu, while addressing the Uzbekistan parliament, described China’s priorities in the region as: first, deepening good-neighborliness and friendliness and promoting mutual political trust and building all-round and high-level relations; second, enhancing security cooperation, safeguarding regional stability and fighting those harming regional peace and security; third, adhering to the principle of reciprocity and mutual benefit, promoting practical cooperation, expanding mutual investments and lifting the overall level of economic and trade cooperation; fourth, expanding cultural exchanges, consolidating traditional friendships and promoting mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence among the people of each country.

 

The author is a Chinese specialist in Central Asia Studies.

 

(China.org.cn, translated by Chen Chao, November 15, 2004)