China and the five Central Asian countries jointly released their first co-produced humanistic documentary in Kazakhstan's capital city of Astana at a China-Central Asia cultural exchange event on Monday.

The documentary Home was jointly produced by China Media Group (CMG) and the major news agencies and broadcasters in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Shot and to be broadcast across the six countries, the documentary tells stories of friendships that strengthen the bonds among people. It also showcases the fruitful results generated in humanities, scientific research, culture, and tourism under the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism.
It is the first such a jointly made documentary. Central Asian officials and senior media executives expressed their hope that it would serve as a stepping stone to more cooperation, and they believe media plays a critical role in fostering more multilateral collaboration.
"I sincerely hope this project will be neither the first nor the last of its kind. We hope by implementing the project, more sub-projects will follow, and they will be manifested in greater detail in all the aspects of our cooperation," said Aida Balayeva, the Kazakh Minister of Culture and Information.
"Our collaboration with our Chinese partner, China Media Group (CMG), pointed out a very important direction for future cooperation. Media serves as a vital bridge that helps our people know better about each other," said Kemelbek Oishybayev, the chairman of the board of Khabar Agency JSC.
"I hope the friendship between Turkmenistan and China will continue to grow and strengthen. As we often say in Turkmenistan, 'May peace and harmony grace your homes,' and for everyone, there is nothing more cordial and important than home," said Maksat Kurbangeldyev, director at the International Information Center of the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Television, Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography.
"This media collaboration between Kyrgyzstan and China is an example of 'media diplomacy.' I am looking forward to further deepening cooperation between our two countries' media outlets, as this is our shared goal and task," said Bolotbek Tillebaev, director general of the National Television and Radio Corporation of Kyrgyz Republic.