The first meeting of the specialised Working Group on Cooperation between the Customs Services of Central Asian Countries and the People’s Republic of China took place in China on 15–17 September 2026. A delegation from the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan took part in the event, according to the press office of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan.

Representatives from China, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan discussed the introduction of modern technologies into customs administration, including risk management, artificial intelligence and data analysis.

One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the agreement on a draft ‘Cooperation Procedure’, providing for the operational exchange of information between customs services. The document is expected to be signed at the Third ‘China–Central Asia’ Summit in 2027.

The parties also agreed to explore the possibility of launching a pilot data-sharing scheme. The next meeting of the Working Group is scheduled to take place in Kazakhstan.

The Turkmen delegation’s participation as observers provided an opportunity to learn about international experience in the digitalisation of customs and approaches to modernising the national customs control system.