摘要：On the afternoon of May 29, 2025, Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) held Astana Regional Cooperation Panel in Astana, capital of Kazakhsta

-- Boao Forum for Asia Holds Astana Regional Cooperation Panel

On the afternoon of May 29, 2025, Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) held Astana Regional Cooperation Panel in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan. This event was co-hosted by the BFA and the Astana International Forum (AIF) at the invitation of the Kazakh Government, with the theme "Enhancing Regional Connectivity and Unleashing Development Potential."

The BFA Secretary-General Zhang Jun moderated the Panel and delivered welcome remarks. Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the Forum, delivered keynote remarks. Panelists including Alibek Kuantyrov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Shamshad Akhtar, member of the BFA Council of Advisors and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Fabrizia Lapecorella, Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Piao Yangfan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Feng Yanqiu, Managing Director of the Silk Road Fun and Zhou Chao, Deputy Secretary-General of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Government of China, made presentations and joined the discussion.

The Panelists acknowledged that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, where economic globalization faces headwinds, and global sustainable development goals are being hindered. The tariff and trade wars initiated by the United States have severely damaged the multilateral trading system and disrupted the process of global economic recovery, further exacerbating global trade tensions and economic fragmentation. In the face of severe challenges, deepening connectivity and upholding openness and inclusiveness is the correct direction to address global crises and ensure regional supply chain stability and security. Asian countries should continue to promote both 'hard connectivity' of infrastructure and 'soft connectivity' of standards, rules, and digital platforms, achieving multi-dimensional deep connections and coordinated development. Volkan Bozkir stated that from the ancient Silk Road to today's digital highways, history has shown that connectivity drives civilizations forward and set the path to an open, inclusive, and sustainable future for humanity.

The panelists jointly called for Asian countries to firmly uphold multilateralism in the face of complex and severe international situations. Solid political trust is the foundation of cooperation on connectivity, which cannot be achieved without multilateralism and the essential guarantee of the UN-centered global governance system. Unilateralism and confrontation can only lead to ‘small yard with high fences’ . All parties must firmly uphold the multilateral trading system centered around the World Trade Organization and contrive to build an open and integrated Asia-Pacific cooperation pattern. We must create an open and inclusive partnership of connectivity based on the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, promoting the formation of a new mechanism for global and regional supply chain governance that is open, fair, just, and diverse. Ban Ki-moon pointed out the best response for Asian countries to unilateralism, protectionism & the tariff war is not to give in or give up, but to stick together with greater level of connectivity and more consolidated intra-Asian production network & supply chain and jointly meet challenges. Fabrizia Lapecorella noted that protectionism is self-cheating and will seriously harm the interests of one's own country and others, leading to a global economic contraction. The New Eurasian Land Bridge and the China-Europe Railway Express have far exceeded their transportation scope in terms of significance, enhancing supply chain resilience and promoting capacity cooperation and investment.

Panelists unanimously agreed that connectivity is crucial for maintaining the stability of the global supply chain. Infrastructure connectivity is the hardware foundation for the operation of the global supply chain. Asian countries need to continue improving traditional infrastructure while increasing investment in new infrastructure, forming a comprehensive, multi-level, and composite infrastructure network, promoting the smooth flow of production and supply chain information, and enhancing cross-regional resource mobility and allocation efficiency. More importantly, it is essential to focus on 'soft connectivity,' strengthening the connection of rules and standards between countries, fully leveraging the important role of high-standard regional trade agreements in maintaining supply chain stability, and building predictable and operational frameworks for supply chain cooperation.

The panel emphasized that advancing connectivity must be accompanied by strengthening institutional guarantees. It is particularly important to accelerate the improvement and reinforcement of high-standard regional trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement 3.0, steadily aligning rules and standards, breaking down barriers, reducing institutional friction, and creating more stable, reasonable, efficient, and predictable regional supply chains and value chains. Shamshad Akhtar called for aligning regional connectivity with bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements, focusing on intra-regional investment, digital transformation, and clean energy as breakthrough points, and using connectivity and supply chain cooperation as bonds to promote solidarity and cooperation among countries.

Panelists agreed that it is essential to adhere to innovation-driven development to strengthen connectivity. Countries should accelerate the application of new digital infrastructure, fully leveraging the optimization and driving role of digital technology in connectivity. Digital trade platforms should help stabilize the global supply chain ecosystem and promote steady global trade development. Through digital technology, external uncertainties leading to supply chain risks can be mitigated. Alibek Kuantyrov introduced Kazakhstan's successful experience in actively promoting digital connectivity and proposed that regional countries strengthen cooperation in scientific and technological innovation and digital logistics, promoting cross-regional resource mobility and allocation efficiency.

The Panel highly affirmed the significant cooperative initiatives advocated by China and Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan in recent years, including the 'Belt and Road,' 'Middle Corridor,' and 'Revival of the Silk Road', etc. They believed that these initiatives have powerfully promoted the opening-up and win-win cooperation and high-quality sustainable development in Asia, further enhancing the economic resilience of the region and injecting vitality into economic globalization.

Kazakhstan, as one of the initial countries of the Boao Forum for Asia, has been long supporting the BFA’s development. During his participation in the Forum’s Annual Conference 2024, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited the BFA to co-host a thematic meeting on regional cooperation with the AIF in Kazakhstan. The event was held under the framework of the AIF 2025, which is themed "Connecting Minds, Shaping the Future."

来源：博鳌亚洲论坛