China's participation in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) has promoted dialogue, mutual trust and coordination in the region, an expert has said.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Kazbek Maigeldinov, director of Center for Research and Analysis at the Institute for Eurasian Integration in Kazakhstan, recalled Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the fifth CICA summit held in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe in June 2019.
In his speech, the Chinese leader called on CICA members to build an Asia featuring mutual respect and trust, stability and prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, as well as cooperation and innovation.
To pursue that end, Xi proposed exploring a security and development path that fits Asian reality and the common interests of countries.
China has been actively participating in the CICA process, promoting security and stability in Asia and strengthening regional cooperation in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, he said.
Against the backdrop of rising trend of unilateralism and protectionism, Asia is also facing increasing uncertainty in regional landscape, highlighted by its array of traditional and non-traditional security challenges.
A strong and prosperous China helps safeguard the security and stability of the region, since China's economy has been deeply integrated with the global one, said the expert.
Maigeldinov also voiced his support for China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), saying it is conducive to the peaceful development and prosperity of the entire region.
The BRI is based on mutual benefits and plays an important role in facilitating exchanges on politics, trade, finance, infrastructure and people-to-people communication among participating countries, said Maigeldinov.
The CICA, initiated by Kazakhstan and established in 1992, is a pan-Asian multilateral cooperation mechanism that seeks to promote peace, security and interaction in Asia. It now has 27 member states and 13 observers.
Noting that the CICA members have various development paths and different visions on regional and global issues, Maigeldinov said the mechanism has provided a multilateral platform to conduct dialogue, strengthen cooperation and cope with common challenges and security threats.
"Security problems of each Asian country, as well as the entire Asia, are closely interconnected with the international security," said Maigeldinov, adding that the CICA seeks to become a bridge for communication and open up a more peaceful and prosperous future for Asia.
