Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the joint construction of the One Belt - One Road initiative, the Central Asian Regional Forum on Economic and Trade Development was held on 15 September at the Kyrgyz National University (KNU) on the topic “The positive role of the One Belt Initiative - one path" in the modern world environment."

Representatives of government agencies, experts, scientists, and businessmen from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan took part in the meeting online and offline.

The forum was jointly organized by the One Belt - One Road research center of the Kyrgyz National University and the newspaper New Observation on Silk Road.

 Experts from many countries discussed development trends and advanced views on the regional economy and trade of Central Asia, as well as new directions for regional economic and trade cooperation in the new situation, and shared the results achieved within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative over the past ten years.

Liang Ziqian, first vice president of the Institute of Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation and an expert at the Silk Road Planning Center, noted that the secret to the success of China’s 30-year cooperation with the five Central Asian countries lies in mutual respect, good neighborliness, joining forces, mutual benefit and win-win. Strengthening cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative will help make full use of their respective advantages, create a favorable environment for cooperation, promote stability and development in the Central Asian region, and have an impact on the regional and global economic, political and safety. It is necessary to make full use of the research of relevant high-quality intellectual resources of various countries to accelerate the development of the Central Asian region.

Former Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Russia Mehmet Chikanov analyzed the Eurasian transport corridor. The feasibility study of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project has been completed. Whether Kyrgyzstan will be able to become an official participant in these projects largely depends on the business environment in the country. He suggested that the government of Kyrgyzstan make improving freedom of enterprise in the country one of its priorities so that Kyrgyzstan could receive an appropriate international division of labor and status in this transport corridor. Today’s China respects international law and trader status from a competitive perspective.

Kanat Sadykov, former Minister of Education of Kyrgyzstan, shared insight into the core concepts of China’s strategic culture and the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative has attracted the attention of the international community. The concept of joint construction of “One Belt - One Road” stems from a deep philosophical understanding of national and world structures in Confucianism, that is, “peace for all.”

Deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh Dastan Bekeshev, former Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Felix Kulov, Director of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek Council for Humanitarian and Economic Cooperation Kalnur Ormushev, Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Azerbaijan Ruslan Mirsayapov and other experts shared their opinions on such aspects of cooperation within the framework of the One Belt - One Road initiative, such as economic and trade exchanges, humanitarian cooperation, regional security and environmental protection.

The results showed that cooperation in various fields under the Belt and Road Initiative has brought together many countries around the world, especially with China, to promote trusting relationships and create a good and safe business environment.

At the forum, Li Yi, a representative of the organizing committee of the international exhibition “One Belt - One Road,” presented the project of the exhibition, which is planned to be held in Kyrgyzstan in 2024. He expressed the hope that holding the Belt and Road International Exhibition will allow China and Kyrgyzstan to share development opportunities, which will certainly affect the overall regional development and help create a “community of interests” for mutually beneficial and win-win relations between the countries.