China and five Central Asian nations have officially established a China-Central Asia emergency management cooperation mechanism, according to Xinhua.

China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the mechanism during a ministerial meeting in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Thursday.

The six countries also approved an action plan for emergency management cooperation for 2024-2026 and announced the creation of a working group for China-Central Asia emergency management.

The mechanism will serve as a new platform for deepening mutually beneficial and practical cooperation among the six countries, China's Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) said.

China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with the five Central Asian nations for emergency management to contribute to building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future, the ministry added.

All of the six countries face comparatively high risks of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and forest and grassland fires, as well as the daunting task of ensuring economic development and defusing major risks, an MEM official said earlier this week.