BISHKEK (TCA) — China’s southwest province of Sichuan signed nine documents with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on October 19 to strengthen cooperation in trade, tourism, education and health. The agreements were signed at the China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum held in Sichuan’s provincial capital Chengdu, which was attended by more than 200 officials, entrepreneurs, researchers and other representatives from China and Central Asian countries, Xinhua news agency reported.
Under the agreements, Sichuan and Kazakhstan will establish a Traditional Chinese Medicine Center in Almaty and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in traditional medicine.
The sides agreed on chartered flights between China and the Central Asian countries to facilitate tourism cooperation.
At the forum, Kyrgyzstan and China signed, among other documents, an agreement on establishing friendly relations between the Chambers of Industry and Commerce of Kyrgyzstan and China, and an agreement on academic exchanges between the Sichuan University and Kyrgyzstan’s Osh Technological University, the press service of the Kyrgyz Government reported.
“The Belt and Road Initiative has provided a broad platform for cooperation between Sichuan and Central Asia,” Xinhua quoted Sichuan Governor Yin Li as saying at the forum.
According to Chinese statistics, in the first eight months of this year, trade between Sichuan and five Central Asian countries amounted to 71 million US dollars. Four companies from Sichuan have established firms in Central Asia, with a total investment of 50 million dollars. The value of contracted projects of Sichuan firms in Central Asia has exceeded 1 billion US dollars.
