Shen Yueyue, vice-chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairperson of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, reads out President Xi Jinping's congratulatory message to the 10th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum before delivering a keynote speech in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, Sept 9, 2023. The forum opened here on Saturday. [Xinhua/Jiang Kehong]

XIAMEN -- The 10th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum opened Saturday in the eastern Chinese city of Xiamen, Fujian province. 

Shen Yueyue, vice-chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the opening ceremony and read out President Xi Jinping's congratulatory message to the forum before delivering a keynote speech. 

Shen, also chairperson of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), said that relations between China and Central Asian countries have entered a new era under the strategic guidance of the heads of state, and the forum is a practical measure to implement the consensus reached by the leaders at the China-Central Asia Summit. 

China and Central Asia countries need to comprehensively deepen political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, jointly achieve high-quality development, continuously deepen people-to-people exchanges, develop close international coordination, and build an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future, Shen added. 

More than 400 people, including leaders and government officials from Central Asian countries and the SCO secretary-general, attended the forum. The Xiamen Initiative was released at the event.

Shen Yueyue, vice-chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairperson of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, attends the opening ceremony of the 10th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, Sept 9, 2023. Shen read out President Xi Jinping's congratulatory message to the forum before delivering a keynote speech. [Xinhua/Jiang Kehong]