China Expands Influence in Central Asia with Disaster Relief Initiative

China and the five states of Central Asia are creating a mechanism to improve responses to natural disasters.  The heads of emergency-response agencies for all six nations signed a cooperation agreement following a meeting in the western Chinese city of Urumqi. The pact establishes a working group to mitigate risks and develop more efficient natural disaster response plans. “This mechanism will serve as a new platform for deepening mutually beneficial and practical cooperation among the six countries,” the Business Kazakhstan outlet…