BEIJING -- The Silk Road Economic Belt was highlighted in the third China-Central Asia cooperation forum in Rizhao, Shandong province on Tuesday.

Speaking at the forum, Meng Jianzhu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, lauded the achievements by China and Central Asian nations.

He called on all those present at the forum to work together to build a new Silk Road based on inclusiveness, mutual benefit, peace and cultural integration.

First Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Rustam Azimov, Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Valery Dil and representatives from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan attended the forum.

Azimov and Dil praised the initiative, saying there were many opportunities for pragmatic cooperation.

During a visit to Kazakhstan in September 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Central Asian nations collaborate on the Silk Road Economic Belt to boost cooperation.