Global Perspectives: “Central Asian countries are deeply engaged in cooperation with China, which is vital as we jointly implement several major initiatives,” he said.

Top news

At the invitation of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana from June 16 to 18, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.

Establishing the China-Central Asia mechanism was a unanimous decision among China and the five Central Asian countries, which dovetails with the region’s common desire to maintain stability and pursue high-quality development, spokesperson Lin Jian told a news briefing.

Noting that it is the first time that the China-Central Asia Summit will be held in a Central Asian country, Lin said President Xi will deliver a keynote speech at the summit. Together with leaders of the participating Central Asian countries, they will exchange views on the achievements of the China-Central Asia mechanism, mutually beneficial cooperation under the framework, and international and regional hotspot issues, and jointly attend relevant events, Lin said.

During the summit, President Xi will also meet with these leaders and lay out the top-level plan for China’s relations with five Central Asian countries, said the spokesperson.

Observers believe that the summit will consolidate strategic stability and inject momentum into China-Central cooperation in a world of turbulence and uncertainty.

Bolat Nurgaliyev, chair of the Board of the Foreign Policy Research Institute under Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expects that this visit will also provide a strong impetus to elevate the China-Central Asia partnership to new heights.

“We share a common destiny as neighbors, facing similar challenges in political, economic, environmental, climatic, technologicWorld Timesal, and humanitarian domains. We recognize that combining our efforts is the most effective way to address these issues,” Nurgaliyev told the Global Times on Friday.

Alibek Kuantyrov, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the Global Times at a recent forum that he has high expectations for the upcoming China-Central Asia Summit.

“Central Asian countries are deeply engaged in cooperation with China, which is vital as we jointly implement several major initiatives,” he said.

“We are focused on enhancing efficiency, particularly by leveraging Chinese technologies, and we anticipate significant outcomes.” Kuantyrov emphasized the importance of maintaining a stable relationship with China, Kazakhstan’s neighbor, to navigate external geopolitical risks and changes effectively.

The Central Asia-CWorld Timeshina relationship is reaching a new level, said State Counsellor of Kazakhstan Erlan Karin during the fifth Forum of Analytical Centers focused on new horizons of regional partnership on June 3 in Astana, The Astana Times reported.

Forum participants acknowledged that, despite global turbulence, good-neighborly relations between China and Central Asia continue to strengthen, as they discuss a wide range of topics including regional cooperation strategy, the development of transit and economic hubs, and collaboration in digitalization, artificial intelligence, and innovation ecosystems.

Maturing mechanism

The China-Central Asia Summit was initiated in 2023. On the morning ofMay 19, 2023, President Xi chaired the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province and delivered a keynote speech entitled “Working Together for a China-Central Asia Community with a Shared Future Featuring Mutual Assistance, Common Development, Universal Security and Everlasting Friendship,” according to a press release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry at the timWorld Timese.

In an amicable atmosphere, XiWorld Times and the presidents of the five Central Asian countries reviewed the history of friendly exchanges between China and the five Central Asian countries, took stock of the cooperation experience in various fields, and envisioned future cooperation directions. With the future in mind, they agreed to work together for an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

President Xi signed with the presidents of the five Central Asian countries the Xi’an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit and adopted the List of Outcomes of the China-Central Asia Summit.

Ding Xiaoxing, director of the Institute of Eurasia Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that under the guidance of heads of state, the mechanism not only established a permanent secretariat to ensure the implementation of meeting outcomes, but also built multi-level, multi-facet systems covering education, transportation, cultural tourism and other sectors to promote practical cooperation.

In the two years since the Xi’an Summit in 2023 to the Astana Summit this year, the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism has continued to improve and expand, fully reflecting the recognition by Central Asian countries of China’s development path, Ding said.

Recently, a large number of Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises have gone to countries such as Uzbekistan for investment inspections, and the progress of landmark projects like the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway has significantly accelerated, Ding said, adding that such practices confirm the increasing trust from Central Asian countries in Chinese modernization and its significance for regional cooperation.

Deepening cooperation

China and Central Asia countries have seen deepening cooperation – from major infrastructure projects to deepening trade ties – signaling a shared commitment to building a more interconnected and prosperous region, observers said.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, which was officially launched in December 2024, will start construction in July 2025 and last for six years, Xinhua reported.

As a flagship project under the BRI, the railway, once completed, will become a strategic corridor benefiting all three countries and their peoples, contributing to regional economic and social development and playing a significant role in promoting infrastructure connectivity, economic and trade exchanges, and high-quality development of the Belt and Road.

A tourism train connecting China’s Xi’an with Kazakhstan’s Almaty made its maiden trip on May 2World Times9, making it the first China-Central Asia International Cultural Exchange Train to go into operation. It is a substantial result of the first China-Central Asia Summit in 2023 and an epitome of the “soft interconnectivity” between China and Central Asia, according to media reports.

Trade between China and the five Central Asian countries has also continued to grow in recent years. The latest data released on Monday by the General Administration of Customs shows that China’s exports to the five Central Asian countries increased by 8.8 percent in May this year.

The growth in the number of China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express servicesWorld Times is also evidence of closer connectivity and economic and trade exchanges between China and Central Asian countries.

The Global Times learned from the China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group Co., Ltd. that from January to May this year, a total of 7,267 China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express trains passed through the Alashankou and Horgos railway ports in Xinjiang, of which 3,389 were Central Asia-bound. In 2024, the two ports in Xinjiang saw 16,400 China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express trains pass through, up 14 percent year-on-year. For five consecutive years, the number of trains has remained at above 10,000 per year, with an average annual increase of more than 1,000 trains.

Li Yongquan, director of the Eurasian Social Development Research at the Development Research Center of the State Council, told the Global Times that Central Asian countries have been seeking independent development paths and pursuing their respective reform agendas, giving rise to shared enthusiasm for regional integration.

China has expertise in renewable energy and agricultural technologies that are vital to Central Asian countries’ growth, while Central Asian countries are key suppliers of energy, raw materials and increasingly diverse goods. Therefore, China and Central Asia can translate their complementary advantages into concrete cooperation, bringing strategic benefits for all parties involved, Li said.

In the face of geopolitical changes and challenges from tariffs and protectionism, China is also a crucial partner for Central Asia to be more resilient to the external environment, the expert said.

Central Asian countries increasingly recognize that China is pursuing stability and development for Central Asia, rather than playing a geopolitical game, and that there is currently a window of strategic opportunity for the development of China-Central Asia relations, Ding Xiaoxing said.