On April 11, the China-Central Asia Youth Development Dialogue hosted by the All-China Youth Federation was held in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. More than 60 representatives of youth organizations and young entrepreneurs from China and the five Central Asian countries gathered together to engage in heated exchanges and in-depth discussions on the theme of “Strengthening Digital Economy Cooperation for the Common Development of Youth”.

On April 11th, at the China-Central Asia Youth Development Dialogue in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Image provided by Shaanxi Youth Federation

In his speech, Shapkat, vice president of the All-China Youth Federation, said that young people are both the beneficiaries and promoters of friendly cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries. It is hoped that as envoys of friendship and bridges of cooperation, the young people of China and the five Central Asian countries would work together to build a platform for youth digital economy cooperation, share the fruits of digital development, safeguard the rights and interests of youth in digital development, adhere to people-oriented approach and AI for good, jointly leading the international youth agenda and developing together in the era of digital innovation. The All-China Youth Federation is willing to work with youth organizations, young scientists and young entrepreneurs from Central Asian countries to promote youth development with the digital economy and realize regional development through digital innovation, contributing youth wisdom and strength to the building of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

Xing Shanping, deputy secretary of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, expressed her welcome to the foreign guests. She stated that the exchanges and interactions between Shaanxi and Central Asia have a long history. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi and the heads of Central Asian countries, the connection and cooperation between Shaanxi and Central Asia have been continuously deepened, and a series of fruitful results have been achieved. At present, Shaanxi is earnestly studying and implementing the important speeches and instructions made by President Xi during his previous visits to the province, striving to accelerate the building of an inland highland of reform and opening up and write a new chapter in Shaanxi’s Chinese-style modernization. It is hoped that young people could leverage their own strengths, actively participate in pragmatic cooperation in fields like digital economy, tell the stories of China, Shaanxi and the Silk Road in light of reality, and act as envoys of friendship among people and bridges of mutual learning among civilizations, showing their grace in building a China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

Wu Yingqin, executive director of the secretariat of the China-Central Asian cooperation mechanism, said in his speech that expanding cooperation in digital economy, promoting digital trade, and developing cross-border e-commerce are the priority directions of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology. In the era of digital economy, scientific and technological innovation mainly relies on young scientific talents. He said that the secretariat of the China-Central Asian cooperation mechanism has been actively promoting the deepening of digital economy cooperation between China and Central Asia, and supporting young people from China and Central Asia in strengthening exchanges and cooperation in entrepreneurship and innovation. He also expressed the hope that young people from Central Asian countries could deeply integrate into the Belt and Road Initiative with the help of digital trade platforms such as cross-border e-commerce, allowing more people to enjoy the fruits of technical cooperation.

Takhtar Boresov, youth policy advisor to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan and chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Union of Young Entrepreneurs, said that Kazakhstan is actively promoting educational and scientific innovation, paying special attention to the cultivation of AI talents. Therefore, it hopes to strengthen cooperation with Chinese universities to allow college students and young people to exchange experience and improve skills in practice, arming themselves to address the challenges of the digital age.

“As a representative of the younger generation, I believe that digital technology and AI hold great potential for development in Central Asian.” Speaking about tackling the challenges posed by digital technologies, Timur Turatali, technical director of Kyrgyz AI Research Institute and co-founder and head of the AI community in Kyrgyzstan, said that the first step should be to ensure fair access to the internet and related infrastructure in all regions. With the increasing level of digitalization, it is also important to strengthen cybersecurity. He also pointed out that modern education projects should be continued to help young people acquire the necessary technical skills for participating in the development of AI.

Feruzajon Sozikov, vice chairman of the AI Council of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, stated in his speech that in recent years, Tajikistan and China have achieved remarkable results during their continuous and deep cooperation in strategic fields. China is a key partner of Tajikistan in promoting industrial modernization and technological innovation in various fields. Tajikistan looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China and other countries in Central Asia in the field of AI, and sharing achievements and experience in AI development.

In his speech, Bergenich Halnepev, the head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Magtymguly Pyragy Youth Organization of Turkmenistan, said that digital economy is increasingly becoming an important force driving global economic and social development, influencing all aspects of life for people of all ages, from the young to the old. He noted that the 2025 “Bridge to the Future” China-Central Asia Youth Leaders Training and Exchange Camp not only enriched the attendees’ knowledge and experience, but shortened the distance between them, who constitute an important force for future challenge tackling and  change.

Shahrior Hudoyberdiyev, co-founder and vice chairman of the Central Asia Artificial Intelligence Association and manager of the Machine Learning Community in Uzbekistan, said in his speech that themed “Strengthening Digital Economy Cooperation for the Common Development of Youth”, this Dialogue is an exact response to the challenges and opportunities faced by various countries. This event is grand in scale and diverse in form, covering special topic seminars on intelligent manufacturing, digital technology, cultural heritage protection, as well as enterprise visits and expert dialogues. It comprehensively demonstrates the resilience and vitality of modern technology, economic collaboration and cultural exchanges in the regional development.

At the Dialogue, young representatives from China and abroad, based on their respective professional experiences and career practices, engaged in heated discussions on topics such as “challenges faced in the process of developing digital economy”, “what efforts young people should make to address these challenges”, and “how to seize the opportunities brought by digital economy”. During their exchange of views and stories, new ideas were sparked. According to the representatives, youth power, technological innovation, and international cooperation will play a key role in future development. They called for accelerating the construction of digital infrastructure, popularizing digital literacy education, and guiding young people to participate deeply in digital transformation and innovation practices through regional platforms and multilateral cooperation projects.

This event also involves signing of China-Central Asia Youth Digital Economy cooperation projects, including artificial intelligence projects, supply chain projects and logistics park projects. (By Zhao Anqi/ China Youth Daily)