URUMQI – The Tianshan Forum for Central Asia Economic Cooperation commenced on December 2, 2025, in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, marking a significant stride toward regional economic integration. This high-level gathering attracted more than 300 participants, including senior government officials, financial experts, private sector leaders, and policy researchers from Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) member nations.
The two-day conference, themed ‘Unlocking Connectivity and Investment in Central Asia,’ served as a strategic platform for addressing critical development challenges. Key discussion areas encompassed enhancing regional trade corridors, modernizing transport infrastructure, advancing energy cooperation, and accelerating digital connectivity initiatives.
Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fo’an inaugurated the forum by highlighting CAREC’s substantial achievements while advocating for expanded cooperation to deliver greater benefits to member states. ‘We must continue to deepen our collaborative efforts to foster sustainable regional prosperity,’ Minister Lan stated.
Charymuhammet Shallyyev, Director of the CAREC Institute which organized the forum, emphasized the event’s role as a bridge connecting policymakers, development partners, and researchers. Since establishing its headquarters in Urumqi in 2015, the Institute has produced over 180 research studies and trained more than 2,000 government officials through 150 capacity-building programs.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal addressed the transformative global economic landscape, identifying Central and South Asia as emerging growth engines. Minister Iqbal pointed to successful Pakistan-China collaborations as models for future cooperation in industrial development, agricultural technology, and cultural exchange.
The forum witnessed the inauguration of the Central Asia Fiscal Cooperation Research Center, a joint initiative by the CAREC Institute and Xinjiang’s Department of Finance. This establishment reinforces Xinjiang’s strategic position as a core Belt and Road hub, leveraging its geographical adjacency to multiple Central Asian nations.
Regional trade dynamics have shown remarkable growth since the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit in May 2023, with bilateral trade reaching $94.8 billion in 2024, underscoring the region’s increasing economic interdependence.