In a significant ecological initiative, the China-Central Asia Cooperation Center for Desertification Prevention has mobilized a coordinated environmental campaign across four Central Asian nations. The center is deploying cutting-edge technologies developed in China’s Ningxia region to address critical soil and water conservation challenges in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
The collaboration follows an extensive assessment mission completed in December that identified specific environmental vulnerabilities across the region. The mission revealed distinct ecological challenges in each country, with Uzbekistan struggling with soil salinization and inadequate irrigation infrastructure, while mountainous Tajikistan faces more pressing concerns regarding soil erosion, pest management, and wildfire prevention.
Feng Zhanwen, director of the center, noted that Central Asian countries have expressed strong appreciation for China’s achievements in combating desertification and related environmental challenges. “China’s experience with desertification prevention and control is of universal value,” Feng stated, emphasizing the center’s mission to share this expertise globally.
The cooperation framework includes six demonstration bases for technology transfer and project implementation. China’s assistance will involve deploying expert teams, ecological monitoring systems, and specialized training programs that integrate proven strategies from Ningxia’s own environmental transformation.
Diplomatic support was reinforced during a January meeting in Yinchuan, where Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to China, Farhod Arziev, emphasized that local cooperation represents a vital component of China-Uzbekistan relations. The ambassador expressed willingness to learn from Ningxia’s experience in multiple domains including poverty reduction, water-saving agriculture, and tourism development.
Liu Jun, vice-chairperson of the Ningxia government, highlighted the global nature of desertification challenges, noting shared experiences with sandstorms between Uzbekistan and Ningxia. “This shared experience is the most solid foundation for cooperation between the two sides,” Liu stated, outlining plans to export mature technologies including multilayered windbreak systems and photovoltaic-powered groundwater desalination to Central Asia.
The initiative will further involve joint laboratory construction, technical training programs, and mutual talent exchanges, aiming to establish a robust regional ecological security barrier across Central Asia.