Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today, the Central Asia-China Summit began in the Chinese city of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, for participation in which the leaders of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan arrived in China.

China is ready to help Central Asian countries strengthen their defense capabilities, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the opening of the China-Central Asia summit in Xi’an.

"China is ready to advance the alignment of development strategies with the countries of Central Asia and make joint efforts to promote the modernization of the six countries," Xi Jinping said, quoted by Xinhua News Agency. He also noted that China will accelerate the modernization of existing checkpoints between China and Central Asian countries.

Noting that the world needs a stable Central Asia, Xi Jinping noted that the sovereignty, security, independence and territorial integrity of the Central Asian countries must be protected, the development paths independently chosen by the peoples of the Central Asian states must be respected, and the efforts made by this region to achieve peace , concord and tranquility must be maintained.

The China-Central Asia Summit is being held in the Chinese city of Xi’an on 18-19 May under the chairmanship of Xi Jinping. It is also symbolic that the city of Xian, the industrial, business, cultural and educational center of the PRC, was chosen as the venue for the forum, which in ancient times was the destination of trade caravans that passed along the Great Silk Road through the territory of Central Asia, connecting China with the states of the region.