From May 18-19, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed and held a summit with Central Asian leaders in Xi'an city.
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| The China-Central Asia Summit took place in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. (Source: REUTERS) |
Beijing considers this "the first major diplomatic event China has hosted this year", hoping to further strengthen relations with partners of geostrategic importance to the country, in the context of many fluctuations in the world situation.
Notably, the meeting between President Xi Jinping and the leaders of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) was held at the same time as the Summit of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized countries in Japan.
China has long viewed Central Asia as important for expanding trade and energy security, as well as for stability in the Xinjiang autonomous region. In September 2022, President Xi Jinping surprised many by choosing Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as stops on his first overseas trip since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Beijing believes that these high-level meetings will be “a milestone in the history” of its relations with the Central Asian region. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, the leaders of the parties will sign “important political documents… opening a new era of cooperation” between the two sides.
Professor Zhu Yongbiao at the School of Politics and International Relations at Lan Zhou University (China) commented that close relations with Central Asia are currently a top priority on China's diplomatic agenda. With Central Asia, Beijing has established relations not only based on bilateral mechanisms, but also through multilateral forums such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The two sides can discuss current hot issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the crisis in Afghanistan. Mr. Zhu commented: “China and the five Central Asian countries have close positions on regional and international issues, from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Afghanistan to counter-terrorism, but there is still a need for further coordination.”
Meanwhile, Wang Jian, director of the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (China), affirmed that although Beijing has focused more on other relationships, Central Asia remains “particularly important” to its security. For their part, the five Central Asian countries also appear to be “keeping a diplomatic distance” from Moscow as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to escalate.
In addition, observers say that China’s efforts to boost ties with Central Asia will sooner or later face fierce competition from the US. Since 2015, the US has used the annual C5+1 Summit between the US Secretary of State and his Central Asian counterparts to expand its influence.
At the most recent summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, in February, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Russia-Ukraine conflict posed common challenges to his country and Central Asia, while representatives of Central Asian countries expressed concern about the spillover effects of anti-Russian sanctions on their economies.
On this occasion, the US announced $20 million in economic aid for the region, in addition to the $25 million provided last year for an economic and energy program to enhance regional connectivity.
Thus, the five Central Asian countries, which are heavily influenced by Russia, need to understand that they must carefully consider their national interests when facing competition between Russia, the US and China in the region, avoiding "displeasing" any side.
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