Published on: 2026-06-17
Source: People’s Republic of China in the Russian language –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Yinchuan, June 17 /Xinhua/ — Since its establishment, the China-Central Asia Cooperation Center for Desertification Prevention and Control, located in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region /NHA, Northwest China/, has already achieved its first positive results, said the director of this center, Fan Zhangwen, on the occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, observed annually on June 17.
In June 2025, at the 2nd China-Central Asia Summit, the creation within the framework of China-Central Asia cooperation of the China-Central Asia Center for Cooperation between China and Central Asian countries on Desertification Prevention and Control was announced.
Under the aegis of the center, 6 indicative practice-oriented bases have been created, primarily engaged in establishing production with the specifics of sandy terrain, breeding adapted plant varieties suitable for sandy soil conditions, and restoring territories affected by erosion. Practical cooperation is planned to be implemented in the relevant spheres with the countries of Central Asia.Deepening cooperation in the field of technology transfer, project implementation, professional training, and in other areas, as emphasized, should lead to an increase in the overall potential for the prevention and combat of desertification.
According to Fan Zhangwen, the center has already held 3 international seminars on cooperation in the field of desertification prevention and control, in which students from Central Asian countries and countries participating in the “Belt and Road” initiative took part. These events introduced participants to the main technologies and practical models in areas such as combating desertification, restoring saline land, developing industry in arid regions, and ecological rehabilitation.
At the moment, 170 foreign professionals have undergone training organized by the center.
He also noted that the center has developed 3 targeted projects to combat desertification, the implementation of which will begin by the end of the current year in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
With the support of the center, local companies conducted negotiations with competent authorities of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and signed memoranda with them on cooperation in areas such as joint training of specialists, exchange of advanced desertification control technologies, donation of equipment for environmental management, and joint construction of demonstration projects, he added.
As stated by Fan Zhangwen, China and the countries of Central Asia, which have typical climatic conditions, face common problems such as drought, water shortage, and the management of saline and solonchak soils, and there is also a desire to protect the ecology of their countries and promote ecological development. The practical experience accumulated by these countries in the field of environmental protection has laid a solid foundation for their complementary cooperation.
In the future, the center will regularly invite specialists from Central Asian countries and member countries of the “Belt and Road” to participate in an international seminar on technologies and practices in the field of combating desertification, an interlocutor said.
There will be training sessions organized in the field of reclamation of salinized lands, water-saving irrigation, restoration of desert vegetation cover, and development of industry in the arid regions of Central Asian countries. In addition, experts will be sent to the relevant regions for technical guidance.
“We have only one Earth. The technologies developed by China to combat desertification belong not only to China but to all humanity,” concluded Fan Zhangwen.
NXAR is surrounded by the deserts Mu-Us, Tengger, and Ulan-Bulak from three sides. The area of desert and sandy lands in this autonomous region amounted to 2.64 million hectares and 1 million hectares respectively, or 50.7 percent and 19.3 percent of the total territory of the region. Thanks to continuous efforts to combat desertification, NXAR became the first administrative unit at the provincial level in China where a reduction in both indicators was recorded.
In recent years, the UNCCD has actively promoted the application of new concepts, technologies and models and has already created a desertification control system taking into account regional characteristics in six areas: combating desertification through science and technology, combating desertification through industrial development, combating desertification through photovoltaic stations, combating desertification through road construction, combating desertification through mechanical equipment and joint prevention of desertification and joint struggle against it.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It represents an exact report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.