From May 18th to 19th, the China-Central Asia Summit will be held in Xi'an. In recent years, the interconnection between China and Central Asian countries has continued to deepen. Under the framework of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", China-Central Asia economic and trade exchanges and logistics construction have achieved a series of historic, symbolic and breakthrough achievements.
Interconnection | Accelerate the development of the new Silk Road
Central Asia, as a priority development area for the construction of the "Silk Road Economic Belt", has played a demonstration role in interconnection and logistics construction. In May 2014, the Lianyungang China-Kazakhstan logistics base started operation, marking the first time that Kazakhstan and Central Asia logistics gained access to the Pacific Ocean. In February 2018, China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan International Road Freight was officially opened to traffic.
In 2020, the Trans-Caspian Sea International Transport Corridor container train will be officially launched, connecting China and Kazakhstan, crossing the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, and then passing through Georgia, Turkey and the Black Sea to finally reach European countries. The transportation time is about 20 days.
With the continuous extension of the China-Central Asia transportation channel, the transit transportation potential of the Central Asian countries will be gradually tapped, and the inland location disadvantages of the Central Asian countries will be gradually transformed into the advantages of transit hubs, so as to realize the diversification of logistics and transportation methods, and provide more opportunities and favorable conditions for China-Central Asia trade exchanges.
From January to April 2023, the number of China-Europe (Central Asia) trains opened in Xinjiang will hit a record high. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs on the 17th, the import and export between China and the five Central Asian countries in the first four months of this year was 173.05 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 37.3%. Among them, in April, the import and export scale exceeded 50 billion yuan for the first time, reaching 50.27 billion yuan Yuan, stepping up to a new level.
Mutual benefit and win-win | Economic and trade cooperation advances in both quantity and quality
Over the years, China and Central Asian countries have promoted economic and trade cooperation under the principles of equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation. At present, China has become Central Asia's most important economic and trade partner and source of investment.
Statistics show that the trade volume between Central Asian countries and China has increased by more than 24 times in 20 years, during which China's foreign trade volume has increased by 8 times. In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and the five Central Asian countries will reach US$70.2 billion, a record high.
As the world's largest manufacturing country, China plays an important role in the global industrial chain system. In recent years, China has continuously deepened cooperation with Central Asian countries in fields such as infrastructure, oil and gas mining, processing and manufacturing, and medical care. The export of high-quality agricultural products such as wheat, soybeans, and fruits from Central Asia to China has effectively promoted the balanced development of trade among all parties.
With the continuous development of cross-border railway transportation, China, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and other facility connectivity projects such as the container freight agreement continue to advance; the construction of customs clearance capabilities between China and Central Asian countries continues to improve; "smart customs, smart borders, and smart connection "Cooperative pilot work and other work have been fully expanded.
In the future, China and Central Asian countries will build a three-dimensional and comprehensive interconnection network integrating roads, railways, aviation, ports, etc., to provide more convenient conditions for personnel exchanges and goods circulation. More domestic and foreign enterprises will deeply participate in the international logistics cooperation of Central Asian countries, creating more new opportunities for China-Central Asia economic and trade exchanges.
The summit is about to open. What is your vision for the economic and trade cooperation between China and Central Asian countries?
Post time: May-19-2023
