Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of Central Asian states have signed a pivotal declaration, emphasizing their commitment to supporting each other and strengthening ties as part of Beijing’s efforts to enhance diplomatic relations with its neighboring countries from the former Soviet Union.
President Xi Jinping of China hosted his inaugural summit with the leaders of five Central Asian nations in the city of Xi’an. The two-day event brought together the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, countries that play a crucial role in China’s ambitious trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
“China and the Central Asian countries will firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests such as sovereignty, independence, security, and territorial integrity,” Xi told reporters on May 19 in China’s ancient city of Xi’an, summing up the declaration that resulted from the two-day China-Central Asia summit.
President Xi emphasized the positive impact of the summit on regional peace, stability, and development, with a focus on promoting comprehensive cooperation in transportation, trade and economy, investment and industry, agriculture, energy, customs, and people-to-people exchanges.
China and the Central Asian leaders agreed to hold China-Central Asia summits biannually, with the next summit scheduled to take place in Kazakhstan in 2025. This regular dialogue reflects China’s intention to strengthen ties and maintain a long-term engagement with the region.
Notably, the summit occurred amidst China’s increasing efforts to expand its influence in Central Asia, taking advantage of Russia’s focus on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. However, the summit also faced some opposition, as several activists in Kazakhstan were detained ahead of the event for attempting to hold protests against an agreement on visa-free entry for Chinese citizens traveling to Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, the agreement was signed by Kazakh and Chinese leaders on the sidelines of the summit.
China, as the world’s second-largest economy, has made significant investments in Central Asia’s energy reserves and considers the region vital to its Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to connect China with Europe. As part of their commitment to boosting Central Asian development, China pledged 26 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) in financing support and grants to the Central Asian nations.
Chinese officials reported that China’s trade with the five Central Asian countries reached $70 billion in 2022, with a 22 percent year-on-year expansion in the first quarter of 2023. Recognizing the importance of regional security, China announced plans to establish a regional anti-terrorism center aimed at training Central Asian security forces.