The upcoming summit between the leaders of China and the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on May 18-19 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, will help bolster the consensus on strengthening regional cooperation.

The summit, the first to be held offline, indicates the growing significance of the region in China's diplomacy and heralds the leaders of the six countries meeting on a regular basis to exchange views on regional and other issues of mutual concern.

China was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the five countries following their independence, and exchanges between China and the five countries have subsequently flourished.

Statistics show trade between China and the five Central Asian nations hit a high of $70.2 billion in 2022, a growth of 40 percent year-on-year. In the first two months of this year, bilateral trade continued to sustain a strong momentum, increasing by 22 percent year-on-year.

Agricultural products, energy products and minerals topped China's imports from the five countries last year, while mechanical and electrical products garnered the lion's share of those countries' imports from China. The two sides have also carried out a number of joint projects in such sectors as energy, mining, manufacturing, connectivity and digital science. The upcoming summit will build on the current good momentum and chart the future course for bilateral cooperation in many fields including trade, investments, culture, infrastructure and energy.

The leaders are also expected to discuss ways to implement the Global Security Initiative and the Global Development Initiative in a bid to consolidate regional stability and promote shared development. The Global Development Initiative calls for coordinated action in areas such as healthcare, protection of the environment and natural resources, and the development of inclusive digital technologies, while the Global Security Initiative calls for upholding the principle of indivisible security and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.

The inclusive and cooperative nature of these initiatives is in stark contrast to the bloc politics trumpeted by some Western countries.

And on a broader scope, by striving to fully release the cooperation potential among the six countries, China and the five Central Asian countries can also set a good example of multilateralism and help to address the many pressing and formidable challenges that confront the world today.