Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a congratulatory letter to the forum on industrial and investment cooperation between China and five Central Asian countries (C+C5), namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Xi, in the letter, said deepening industrial and investment cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries will effectively maintain the stability of regional industrial and supply chains, raise the level of industrial development and global economic participation of regional countries, and promote common development and prosperity.

China is willing to share market, industrial systems and technologies with Central Asian countries, deepen practical cooperation, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, jointly promote high-quality regional economic development, and build an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future, Xi said.

He also highly praised the relationship between China and the five Central Asian countries, saying since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than 30 years ago, China and the five Central Asian countries have embarked on a new path of good-neighborliness, friendship and win-win cooperation and set an example of a new type of international relations.

The two-day forum opened in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on Thursday, and is themed "Jointly promote high-quality regional economic development by mutual benefit and win-win progress."

China has always attached great importance to its relationship with central Asian countries. With regards to economy and trade, the trade volume between China and the five Central Asian countries has jumped from less than $500 million at the beginning of the establishment of diplomatic ties to $50.1 billion in 2022, an increase of more than 100 times. China also aims to increase the trade volume with Central Asian countries to $70 billion by 2030.

In terms of investment, China's investment in the five Central Asian countries is growing rapidly. China has become the largest source of investment in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the second largest in Uzbekistan and the fourth largest in Kazakhstan.

Besides, China and Central Asian countries have jointly carried out a number of projects in oil and gas, mining, agriculture, textile, processing and manufacturing. As of January this year, China has signed cooperation documents on the Belt and Road Initiative with all Central Asian countries.