Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday addressed the Silk Road International Expo in Xi'an. Wang Yi spoke via video, as he called on countries to work closer together in areas like health and connectivity. The expo is aimed at speeding up China's economic development and the Belt and Road Initiative. Also in Xi'an, Wang Yi met with his counterpart from Turkmenistan. Wang is hosting a meeting on Wednesday with foreign ministers from Central Asia. Wang said China sees Turkmenistan as a long-term partner in natural gas and that the two sides should expand cooperation in other areas.