China and five Central Asian countries have agreed to deepen relations and reached extensive common understandings on deepening practical cooperation after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with the five countries' foreign ministers respectively on the sidelines of the fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Wednesday.

When meeting with his Kazakh counterpart, Murat Nurtleu, Qin said the two countries should abide by the consensus reached by the two heads of state of building a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust, and sharing weal and woe, and promote China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership to bring more benefits to both peoples.

When meeting with his Kyrgyz counterpart Kulubaev Zheenbek Moldokanovich, he noted that, as China and Kyrgyzstan have established a high-level comprehensive strategic partnership, both sides should give full play to the intergovernmental cooperation committee of the two countries to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.

Qin told Tajikistan's Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin that China and Tajikistan are iron-clad friends. He urged the two countries to consolidate political mutual trust and work together to build a common development community and a security community based on the consensus reached by the two countries' heads of state.

Noting China-Uzbekistan relationship has reached a historical high, Qin told his Uzbek counterpart that both sides should follow the strategic consensus of the two heads of state and advance the building of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future to achieve more fruitful results in all-round mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries.

When meeting with Turkmenian counterpart Vepa Hajiyev, Qin said that, as the relations between the two countries have been elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership by the two heads of state, which opens a new chapter in bilateral ties, both sides should promote the relations to a new level under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state.

Qin stressed that China will, as always, firmly support Central Asian countries to safeguard national sovereignty, independence, security, and territorial integrity, firmly support the development paths independently chosen by Central Asian countries according to their own national conditions, and resolutely oppose any external forces interfering in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries.

He noted that China will strengthen communication and cooperation with Central Asian countries in the framework including the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and work with them to jointly safeguard the basic norms of international relations, the international system with the United Nations at its core, and international fairness and justice.

The five foreign ministers said that, over the past 30 years since their countries established diplomatic relations with China, China has maintained good neighborliness, mutual respect and trust, and mutually beneficial cooperation with them, bringing benefits to the peoples of all countries and contributing to regional peace and development.

Noting developing relations with China is their diplomatic priority, the five foreign ministers pledged to implement the important consensus of the heads of state, maintain close high-level exchanges, promote the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, deepen humanistic exchanges, and fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism.

They said their countries support the major global initiatives China has proposed, support China's legitimate position on issues including Xinjiang and Tibet, oppose the politicization of human rights, and will strengthen international multilateral collaboration to support each other in safeguarding core interests and maintaining regional peace and stability.

China and the five countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation in fields including trade and investment, interconnection, green agriculture, medical and health care, energy and minerals.

(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang meets with Uzbekistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov on the sidelines of the fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, April 26, 2023. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)