Chinese modernization has proven to be a viable and steady path, representing an effective approach developed by China in its practice, foreign experts said at the forum, calling it a model for developing countries to achieve modernization independently, which offers important insights for Central Asian nations.

ALMATY, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Central Asian countries seek to deepen cooperation with China, a model for developing countries, to build a community with a shared future, said experts gathering here for a forum.

"Hong Ting Forum -- Chinese Modernization and the China-Central Asia Community with a Shared Future" was held Wednesday in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, and attended by representatives from governments, think tanks, media and enterprises of Central Asian countries and China.

Chinese modernization has proven to be a viable and steady path, representing an effective approach developed by China in its practice, foreign experts said at the forum, calling it a model for developing countries to achieve modernization independently, which offers important insights for Central Asian nations.

Bulat Sultanov, chairman of Kazakhstan's Belt and Road Experts and Scholars Club, said that Central Asian countries and China are engaging in mutually beneficial cooperation across various fields such as economy, trade, education, culture and tourism.

"In the context of intense geopolitical tensions, we should actively explore new areas for deepening strategic cooperation between Central Asian countries and China based on mutual respect, equality, trust and long-term friendship," said Sultanov.

Ismail Dairov, director of Kyrgyzstan's think tank the Regional Mountain Center of Central Asia, noted that Central Asia and China share a thousand-year history of exchanges.

Today, within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, both sides are strengthening ties and cooperation at an unprecedented pace, he said.

"Through participation in the China-Central Asia Summit and various mechanisms under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, we have not only deepened cooperation, but also are aligning more closely in terms of values and visions," he said.

Ruslan Kenzhaev, deputy editor-in-chief of the leading Uzbek newspaper Narodnoe Slovo, pointed out that through deepening economic cooperation, promoting infrastructure development, advancing technology and people-to-people exchanges, Central Asian countries and China have developed a model of sustainable cooperation based on mutual respect and shared visions.

In her speech, Jiang Wei, consul general of China in Almaty, said China-Central Asia cooperation follows a broad path of good-neighborliness, friendship and mutual benefit, which aligns well with the concept of Chinese modernization.

She emphasized that China is ready to work with Central Asian countries to achieve common development and prosperity, and build a closer community with a shared future via high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

More than 50 participants joined the discussions on jointly enhancing the Belt and Road cooperation and the China-Central Asia Summit mechanism, injecting new impetus into the construction of a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

The Hong Ting Forum was co-hosted by the Xinhua News Agency Eurasia Regional Bureau and the Chinese Consulate General in Almaty, and jointly organized by Xinhua's Almaty Bureau and Kazakhstan's Belt and Road Experts and Scholars Club.■