On February 16, 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the China + Five Central Asian Countries Industry and Investment Cooperation Forum.

Xi Jinping pointed out that over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries, they have successively established strategic partnerships, blazed a new path of good-neighborly friendship and win-win cooperation, and set a model for a new type of international relations. The deepening of industrial and investment cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries will effectively maintain the stability of the regional industrial chain and supply chain, improve the industrial development level of regional countries and their participation in the global economy, and promote common development and prosperity. China is willing to share a super-large-scale market, a complete industrial system and advanced technology with Central Asian countries, deepen practical cooperation, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, work together to promote high-quality regional economic development, and build a closer China-Central Asia community of destiny.

The China + Five Central Asian Countries Industrial and Investment Cooperation Forum opened in Qingdao, Shandong Province. The theme is mutual benefit and win-win, and jointly promote the high-quality development of the regional economy. It is co-sponsored by the National Development and Reform Commission and the People's Government of Shandong Province.

On the morning of February 16, the first China + Five Central Asian Countries Industry and Investment Cooperation Forum opened at the Qingdao International Conference Center. The forum implements the spirit of President Xi Jinping's initiative at the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries. Representatives of institutions, experts, associations and enterprises participated in the meeting, organized activities such as the opening ceremony, results release, policy promotion, sub-forums, visits and surveys, discussed and exchanged around important topics, and built industries and investments for all parties in China + the five Central Asian countries Cooperation Platform.

2022 is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Central Asian countries. During this period, China’s investment in Central Asian countries reached 40 billion U.S. dollars; the trade volume with the five Central Asian countries exceeded 50 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of more than 100 times, of which the trade volume of agricultural products increased from 175 million in 1992 USD increased to USD 1.073 billion in 2021. China and Central Asia have jointly built railways, highways, pipelines, and air transport corridors, and comprehensively developed communication technology, providing Central Asia with a channel to the sea to the east, making Central Asian countries a land transportation hub between Asia and Europe. The development of bilateral relations has achieved fruitful results, setting a model of a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation.

It is reported that, as one of the important sections of this event, the three sub-forums of Industrial Internet, Energy Cooperation and International Agricultural Cooperation will be held simultaneously on February 17. Among them, the Industrial Internet sub-forum is themed on Digital Empowerment: New Opportunities for Asia-Europe Industrial Chain Supply Chain Cooperation, and will invite entrepreneurs, experts and scholars in the industrial Internet field to focus on the digital transformation of the Industrial Internet industry chain, opening up, and digital scene construction. Carry out in-depth exchanges and jointly help the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone create a new ecology of digital trade with open resources and shared elements.

The sub-forum on energy cooperation, with the theme of "Deepening Energy Industry Transformation and Realizing Common Prosperity and Development", invites domestic and foreign representatives from energy companies, multinational corporations, industry organizations, research institutes, etc. Topics, to provide new perspectives and new thinking for international energy cooperation. In addition, Qingdao International Energy Trading Center will be unveiled, policies and series of products will be released intensively, and the platform and resource advantages of the forum will be transformed into development advantages.

The sub-forum on international agricultural cooperation will be green, safe and sustainable: international agricultural cooperation scenarios and models in the post-pandemic era as the theme. Promote the upgrading of the supply chain of the international agricultural industry chain and expand new scenarios for international agricultural cooperation. Editor/He Yuting