Opening of the China-Central Asia Summit

On the evening of May 18, Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Bai Liyuan opened the China-Central Asia Summit, an event aimed at building regional influence in the context of leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations also meeting in Japan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The conference took place on May 18-19 in the ancient city of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, western China, the eastern terminus of the "Silk Road" that once connected China with Europe via Central Asia.

This is the first time the summit has been held in person since China established relations with the Central Asian countries (including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) 31 years ago. Beijing asserted that today's summit has "very important significance".

According to official figures from Beijing, trade between China and Central Asian countries reached $70 billion in 2022 and increased by 22% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023.

China - the world's second-largest energy consumer - has invested billions of dollars in natural gas fields in Central Asia, while a rail network has connected China to that part of Europe.

Experts predict that at this conference, the parties will try to reach agreements to further expand this vast network, including a $6 billion railway connecting China with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and expanding a gas pipeline from Central Asia to China.

According to the plan, a media event will be held on the morning of May 19, with the participation of all 6 leaders and a joint statement may be issued at this event.

Ahead of the summit, the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan held their first bilateral talks with the Chinese president. During the meetings, Xi stressed that China is willing to enhance cooperation in various areas on the basis of long-standing friendship, solidarity and mutual benefit, and develop comprehensive cooperation to contribute to China's common growth with its neighbors.

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