Guests attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 Euro-Asia Economic Forum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)
XI'AN, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Delegates from 40 countries recently converged in the city of Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province -- the starting point of the ancient Silk Road -- to engage in in-depth dialogue and seek common ground on key topics such as industrial capacity cooperation, cultural exchange and integration, and collaborative governance.
The three-day 2025 Euro-Asia Economic Forum, which concluded on Thursday, became a platform for dialogue between representatives of governments, businesses and academia from Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, the U.K., Indonesia and other Eurasian countries.
The forum, which began in 2005 and is convened every two years, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. To date, it has attracted over 10,000 participants from more than 70 countries and regions. Over 200 agreements and memoranda have been signed, catalyzing major projects in the fields of energy, finance, transportation and cultural exchange, with cumulative investment exceeding 100 billion yuan (about 14 billion U.S. dollars).
A key takeaway of this year's event was a collective push to bolster infrastructure, promote cross-border currency settlement and accelerate the adoption of green technology.
Data shows that by June, the China Development Bank had loaned more than 150 billion U.S. dollars across the Eurasian region, funding projects like the China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline and Kazakhstan's Shymkent Oil Refinery upgrade.
The forum also saw the release of a report, the Euro-Asia Economic Outlook under the Belt and Road Initiative, which highlighted the region's "resilience" and "moderate growth" despite global headwinds. It credited mechanisms like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union for fostering regional integration.
Li Ziguo, director of the Department for European-Central Asian Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, highlighted the tangible progress of the Belt and Road Initiative, saying that it unlocked regional connectivity and turned Central Asia into a vital Eurasian transport hub.
"Thirty-five years ago, there was not a single functioning border crossing between China and Central Asia," Li said. "Today, China shares 11 border ports with its three Central Asian neighbors, alongside 62 cross-border highway and railway links."
Kazakh economist Rakhim Oshakbayev, director of the TALAP Center for Applied Research, noted that for more than a decade under the Belt and Road Initiative, cooperation between Kazakhstan and China has been deepening across the board.
"Like many partner countries, Kazakhstan has benefited from the opportunities created, achieving tangible improvements in livelihoods and shared prosperity," Oshakbayev said.
The forum also featured a youth dialogue on digital cooperation. "Young people are the hope of Eurasia's future," said Alinur Zhengis, a China-Kazakhstan friendship ambassador and chairwoman of the Kazakhstan-based EREN Corporation. "Their vitality, creativity and open-mindedness will determine the region's direction."
Looking ahead, Oshakbayev urged deeper digital and logistical links. "We need to make cooperation tighter," he said, calling for multilateral efforts to share peace and prosperity.
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