China recognized the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)'s role in regional security and development issues. Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi highlighted the importance of CICA during a meeting in New York with foreign minister or representatives of CICA.
Mr. Wang said that since China assumed the Presidency in the organization in May 2014, security cooperation has the widest coverage and the most attended forum during the conference and it has played a significant and constructive role in the promotion of regional stability and development.
Minister Wang proposed that the forum needs to be enhanced to sustain peace and security, to support equal development sharing, develop innovative transformation, and promote inclusive partnership in the future.
The minister emphasized that the members of the CICA should unite in countering unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemony and in contrary they should pursue fairer multilateralism and they need to build a new type of international relations.
The economic giant advocates that all members of CICA need to deepen their cooperation in trust-building. They need to ensure the effective operation of the organization and needs to expand cooperation with outside countries and other international organizations.
Minister Wang announced that China will transfer CICA's presidency to Tajikistan. Foreign ministers of countries that include Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Pakistan were exchanging ideas on the organization member's cooperation. They are speaking highly of China's contribution to the forum during its administration.
The handing over of chairmanship CICA is scheduled on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to be held in New York according to Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov on his interview with the Kazinform news agency.
The CICA members are united to accept the new opportunities brought by China's Belt and Road Initiative. They also agreed to promote fair and just multilateralism, develop new types of international cooperation, and establish a community that promotes shared interests, responsibility, and future.
The conference was created initially as a forum for dialogues and consultations about security issues in Asia in 1992. The conference has 26 members countries that include China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Thailand, and other countries and international organizations that serve as observers.
The CICA Secretariat was reported to have been established on June 17, 2006, and is located in Astana City. A new office in Astana was officially opened by Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov on October 29, 2016.
