On March 18, 2026, a symposium between Ningxia and diplomatic envoys of Central Asian countries in China was successfully held in Beijing. The event brought together over 40 participants, including Sun Weidong, Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the China-Central Asia Mechanism; Farhod Arziev, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to China; senior diplomats from the Embassies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in China; Liu Jun, Vice Governor of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region; as well as representatives from relevant departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China International Development Cooperation Agency, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and other ministries and commissions, alongside officials from relevant departments of Ningxia and representatives of Ningxia enterprises.

Centering on the theme of upholding the China-Central Asia Spirit, the participants engaged in face-to-face discussions to further strengthen cooperation between Ningxia and Central Asian countries in areas such as economy, trade and investment, ecological and environmental protection, modern agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges. Together, they explored potential areas for collaboration and identified a series of practical measures aimed at fostering a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

In her address, Liu Jun stated that Ningxia, a key hub along the Silk Road Economic Belt, boasts distinctive strengths in ecological governance, specialty agriculture, and energy and chemical industries. She expressed the hope that the symposium would serve as an opportunity to fully leverage the China-Central Asia Cooperation Center for Combating Desertification as a platform, deepen practical cooperation with Central Asian countries in areas such as desertification control, water-saving agriculture, economy and trade, and people-to-people exchanges, and enable Ningxia to contribute its part to writing a new chapter in China-Central Asia friendly cooperation.

Secretary-General Sun Weidong spoke highly of Ningxia’s efforts in advancing cooperation with Central Asia. He noted that just one month after the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Horse, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has “galloped forward on a new journey” by actively implementing the consensus of the six heads of state and the outcomes of the Second China-Central Asia Summit. The region has incorporated the expansion of cooperation with Central Asia into this year’s regional government work report and has taken proactive steps to strengthen practical cooperation with Central Asian countries, adding new impetus to sub-national cooperation between China and Central Asia and enriching the Years of High-Quality Development of China-Central Asia Cooperation. He added that the Secretariat would provide active support to help Ningxia and Central Asian countries further tap into their cooperation potential and promote high-quality development of practical cooperation.

The Ambassador of Uzbekistan to China commended the progress made in implementing the outcomes of the China-Central Asia Summit, highlighting the broad prospects for cooperation between Central Asian countries and Ningxia. He expressed willingness to work within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative to promote the establishment of friendly relations between relevant regions of Uzbekistan and Ningxia and expand cooperation in areas such as desertification control, agricultural technology, and people-to-people cultural exchanges, achieving mutual benefits and win-win outcomes.

Heads of relevant departments from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and other ministries and commissions pointed out that sub-national cooperation constitutes an important part of China-Central Asia relations. They expressed the hope that Ningxia would leverage its unique strengths to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with Central Asian countries in areas such as green technology and poverty reduction, setting a benchmark for sub-national cooperation with Central Asia.

During the symposium, representatives from the Ningxia Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department and Ningxia Commerce Department, along with head of the China-Central Asia Cooperation Center for Combating Desertification, introduced key areas of Ningxia’s international cooperation and specific project proposals. They engaged in in-depth exchanges with diplomatic envoys of Central Asian countries on cooperation pathways and projects alignment. All parties agreed to establish a regular communication mechanism to translate cooperation intentions into tangible outcomes, continuously opening new chapters in friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between Ningxia and Central Asian countries, and jointly contributing to the building of a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

The symposium was attended by leading officials of the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office, Ningxia Forestry and Grassland Administration, and Office of the Ningxia People’s Government in Beijing, as well as relevant officials from the Ningxia Agriculture and Rural Affairs Department, Ningxia Commerce Department, and heads of relevant divisions.