The 7th CICA Summit is held on October 15, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo: X of CICA

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday, with regional security, multilateral cooperation and the organization's institutional transformation high on the agenda.

Wang emphasized that, since its inception, the CICA has remained committed to the principle of peaceful coexistence, promoted multilateral cooperation, and served as a crucial platform contributing to fostering peace, security, and stability in Asia, per CICA website.

Wang also made four proposals at the summit.

The first is to jointly uphold peace and stability. Asia rejects Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation. Asian people should resolve regional issues together under the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.

The second is jointly drive prosperity and revitalization. As development is the master key to all problems, we shall align Belt and Road cooperation with development plans of other countries, promote open trade and facilitate investment, secure supply chains of raw materials, energy and food for Asia's modernization drive. 

The third is to jointly promote mutual learning between civilization. Boasting diverse civilizations, Asia shall champion peace-oriented, cooperative, open and inclusive Asian values, respect countries' independent choices on governance, and expand exchanges on various sectors to connect peoples.

The fourth is to jointly improve global governance. We shall revitalize the authority and role of the United Nations, uphold the basic norms of international relations settled in the UN Charter, strengthen capacity on digital governance, disaster response and public health, and build a more efficient, inclusive and resilient Asian governance framework.

The Baku Declaration was adopted at the summit, which includes specific provisions on advancing the international order and addressing existing military-political, economic and environmental risks. The document also places particular emphasis on promoting tolerance and intercivilizational dialogue, as well as expanding the use of science, education and innovation to enhance security and prosperity. It also highlights the opportunities and risks arising from the development of artificial intelligence.

The declaration further includes provisions on developing economic ties among member states, strengthening transport, energy and digital connectivity, and ensuring energy security.

The summit also decided to admit Laos as a new CICA member. 

The summit comes four years after the previous gathering in 2022, when CICA members agreed to launch the process of transforming the regional forum into a full-fledged international organization. A roadmap for the transformation was subsequently adopted in 2023, laying the groundwork for further institutional development.   

Since Azerbaijan assumed the CICA chairmanship in December 2024, it has continued to advance the process, with newly established cooperation mechanisms gradually becoming operational. In April this year, the CICA Women's Council held its inaugural meeting in Baku, adopting recommendations on strengthening the protection of women's rights and supporting women's entrepreneurship, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, the CICA Fund has begun financing concrete projects. In March 2025, its first project provided 15 tons of wheat seeds and 45 tons of fertilizer to 300 disadvantaged farmers in central Afghanistan. This year, the fund also supported a youth climate action project proposed by Bangladesh.

Wang also held a series of bilateral meetings in Baku, during which he reaffirmed China's support for CICA and emphasized the importance of multilateral cooperation in maintaining regional stability.

China is a founding member of the CICA and held the rotating chairmanship from 2014 to 2018. China has also initiated dialogue mechanisms such as the CICA Think Tank Forum and the CICA Finance Summit to promote professional exchanges among member states. In addition, China serves as a coordinator or co-coordinator for confidence-building measures in seven areas, providing continued support for CICA's development.

Liu Zongyi, director of the Center for South Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the Global Times that Eurasia faces both traditional security challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and tensions in the Middle East, and non-traditional threats such as terrorism, energy insecurity and food insecurity. He went on to say that CICA's transformation from a relatively loose dialogue platform into a formal international organization could strengthen regional consultation, mutual trust and cooperation in addressing these challenges.

China's four global initiatives - the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative - form an interconnected framework that could provide practical guidance for CICA's future development, Liu noted. He explained that development helps foster security, effective governance promotes stability, and dialogue among civilizations builds mutual understanding, creating favorable conditions for regional cooperation.

Beyond institutional reform, Liu said practical cooperation in areas such as regional connectivity could also help strengthen security and stability across Eurasia.

Liu pointed to Azerbaijan's strategic location and its role in developing the Middle Corridor connecting Asia and Europe. Amid geopolitical tensions and disruptions to traditional transport routes, stronger connectivity could promote economic integration, create new development opportunities and contribute to lasting peace and stability across the region, he added.