This past week, Chinese media reported on the President of Tajikistan urging the international community to join forces in the fight against terrorism, Xinhua News Agency published an exclusive interview with Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to China, other outlets reported on a Chinese envoy to the UN calling on the international community to take concrete actions to achieve justice and development for women in conflict zones and to strengthen their resilience, and finally, the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan passing the bill on the demarcation of the Kazakh-Turkmen border in the Caspian Sea was also reflected in the news.
Image source: CGTN
On Tuesday, October 18, a high-level conference on “International and Regional Border Security and Management Cooperation to Counter Terrorism and Prevent the Movement of Terrorists” took place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (China News Service). Addressing the conference, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan said that the constructive cooperation of the international community is the only way to effectively eliminate the issue of terrorism. He called on the international community to work together to combat terrorism and prevent the cross-border movement of terrorists. Rahmon pointed out that the gradual improvement of Tajikistan’s legislation and the implementation of its national strategy have laid the foundation for a targeted and coordinated public policy to counter terrorism and extremism. In addition, the Government of Tajikistan has also improved its mechanisms for preventing extremism and has strengthened the role of education and civil society. Tajikistan, he added, also pays close attention to the strengthening and protection of its borders and takes all necessary actions to prevent the cross-border transfer of terrorist fighters, trafficking of narcotics or weapons, and other forms of transnational crimes. Given the rapid development of border control technologies, Rahmon believes that there is a need to provide border control agencies with modern technical means for timely detection and suppression of attempts by terrorist and extremist groups intending to violate the state borders. The implementation of this initiative requires studying the experience of developed countries and the gradual introduction of advanced international standards in state border management.
Addressing the UNSC's open debate on Women, Peace and Security on Thursday, October 20, China’s permanent envoy to the UN urged the international community to take concrete actions to achieve justice and development for women in conflict to strengthen their resilience (Xinhua). “We should take a long-term view in supporting women's economic empowerment and help more women earn their own living,” said Geng Shuang. He also urged for the immediate lift of unilateral sanctions against countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Cuba and Venezuela, saying that these unilateral measures are “the heavy shackles impeding the survival and development of local women.” Noting that the global food crisis is becoming more severe, Geng stated that the international community should speed up its response to crises and provide emergency assistance to vulnerable groups such as women in developing countries and conflict zones and that China hopes that all parties concerned help fully implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative and ensure that more grain is shipped to developing countries.
During the CPC 20th National Congress in China, the Kazakh Ambassador to China Shakhrat Nuryshev gave an exclusive interview to Xinhua News Agency. (Xinhua) The ambassador, who has lived and worked in China for many years, praised China’s 20th Party Congress Report for its “deep analysis of the international and domestic situations” and “scientific plans and arrangements for the development of the Party and the country’s cause”. Nuryshev pointed out that all the great achievements of China are made under the leadership of the CPC and that the past decade has been one of the fastest-growing periods in the history of the People’s Republic of China. He added that reaching a historic solution to the problem of absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects are the major achievements of China in the past decade, and emphasized the global significance of China’s achievements; “Successfully achieving economic and social development and improving people's living standards in a country with such a large population is itself a great contribution to the world”, he noted.
On Thursday, October 20, the Senate, the Upper House of Kazakhstan’s Parliament, ratified the agreement between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on the delimitation of the border between the two countries over the Caspian Sea. (China News Service) “The law allows Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to complete the maritime demarcation process of their respective state borders, and helps strengthen the two countries’ good neighborly relations and foster mutually beneficial cooperation,” said Chairman of the Senate Maulen Ashimbayev. He noted that the law would determine not only the borderline between the two states but will also differentiate adjacent sections of fishing zones. The land border between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the smallest of both states’ land borders, was delineated in 2006, but the demarcation was not completed until 2018.