By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Senior officials from China and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan gathered in Xian on March 30, 2024, to inaugurate the Secretariat of the Central Asia-China cooperation mechanism.

From the Kazakh side, Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakayev attended the Central Asia-China Secretariat opening ceremony. 

In particular, it was underlined that the launch of the Secretariat was an outcome of the 1st Central Asia-China Summit, which took place in Xian in 2023. He highlighted the foreign policy priorities of Kazakhstan, including good-neighborly relations with countries in the region.

The Kazakh diplomat emphasized that the establishment of the Secretariat would pave the way for better and coordinated efforts to advance the regional agenda within the Central Asia-China format.