China, Central Asia strengthen ties on human rights

China's vision on human rights development is aligned with Central Asia's respective national agendas, and regional countries should work more closely to achieve collective progress, officials and scholars said at a forum in Uzbekistan.

Human rights and development took center stage at the 2026 China-Central Asia Human Rights Development Forum, which convened in Tashkent on Thursday and culminated in the Tashkent Initiative.

Bringing together nearly 100 participants from China and the five Central Asian countries, the event focused on promoting human rights progress through high-quality development.

Li Hongkui, vice-president of the China Foundation for Human Rights Development, said at the opening ceremony that China and Central Asian countries should remain committed to fostering development through cooperation and promoting human rights through development.

"We should continuously advance the deep alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of Central Asian countries, and realize shared modernization through mutual achievement," he said.

Akmal Saidov, director of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan, advocates the deep integration of development and human rights.

Human rights constitute a key topic for mutual exchange and learning between Central Asian nations and China, Saidov said, adding that strengthening regional cooperation constitutes a pragmatic approach to addressing human rights challenges.

Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan Yu Jun highlighted the "rapid growth of the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism", calling for active participation in global human rights governance, toward "building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future".

Shohin Samadi, deputy secretary-general of the Secretariat of the China-Central Asia Mechanism, said he believes the forum serves to broaden the scope of human rights concepts and deepen exchanges and mutual learning among regional civilizations.

The secretariat "will continue to support experts and scholars from the six countries in strengthening exchanges and dialogue, and in forging greater consensus".

Breakout discussions centered on poverty reduction, livelihood improvement projects, green development, and leveraging digital and intelligent technologies to empower the protection of human rights.

Kazbek Maigeldinov, chairman of the Association of China Researchers in Kazakhstan and a member of the National Kurultai under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, stated that China-Central Asia cooperation in digital technologies has reached a new level.

He called for the integration of intelligent technologies to effectively safeguard and promote human rights.

Ma Yuan, director of the Institute of Central Asian Studies at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, highlighted the region's progress in green development, ecological governance and low-carbon transition.

"China and Uzbekistan have worked together to improve saline-alkali lands and promote the cultivation of salt-tolerant plants," Ma said.

The two sides have established water-saving cotton demonstration farms that integrate solar energy with fertigation systems, spurring a synergy that has doubled cotton yields while slashing water consumption by 30 percent, Ma said.

Green governance helps improve human rights, Ma said, adding that clean energy and green jobs can boost employment and promote livelihoods.

The broad consensus reached during the gathering was formalized through several key outcomes.

A major highlight of the forum was the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the China Foundation for Human Rights Development and the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the co-organizers.

Adding to the momentum, the Tashkent Initiative of the China-Central Asia Forum on Human Rights Development — which promotes the four major global initiatives on development, security, civilization and global governance — was unveiled.

The forum was launched in 2023 by the China Foundation for Human Rights Development as a concrete measure to implement the outcomes of the China-Central Asia Summit. This Tashkent gathering follows three successful editions previously held in Beijing, Astana, and Xi'an.

shaoxinying@chinadaily.com.cn