A 'significant milestone'

From May 18-19, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted and held a summit with Central Asian leaders in Xi'an.

Hội nghị thượng đỉnh Trung Quốc-Trung Á diễn ra tại thành phố Tây An, tỉnh Thiểm Tây, Trung Quốc. (Nguồn: REUTERS)

The China-Central Asia Summit took place in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. (Source: REUTERS)

Beijing views this as "China's first major diplomatic event hosted this year," hoping to further strengthen relations with partners of geostrategic importance to the country, amidst a volatile global landscape.

Notably, the meeting between President Xi Jinping and the leaders of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) coincided with the G7 summit in Japan .

China has long viewed Central Asia as a crucial region for expanding trade and energy security, as well as for stability in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In September 2022, President Xi Jinping surprised many by choosing Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as stops on his first foreign trip since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

Therefore, Beijing considers these high-level meetings to be "a significant milestone in history" in its relations with the Central Asian region. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, the leaders will sign "important political documents... ushering in a new era of cooperation" between the two sides.

Professor Zhu Yongbiao of the School of Politics and International Relations at Lan Zhou University (China) noted that close ties with Central Asia are now a top priority on China's foreign policy agenda. With Central Asia, Beijing is establishing relationships not only through bilateral mechanisms but also through multilateral forums such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The two sides could discuss current pressing issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the crisis in Afghanistan. Zhu stated, "China and the five Central Asian countries have similar positions on regional and international issues, from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Afghanistan to counter-terrorism, but further coordination is still needed."

Meanwhile, Wang Jian, Director of the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (China), asserted 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 "maintaining diplomatic distance" from Moscow as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to escalate.

Furthermore, observers believe that China's efforts to strengthen its relations with Central Asia will sooner or later face fierce competition from the United States. 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 conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, last February, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has presented the country and Central Asia with common challenges. Meanwhile, representatives from Central Asian countries expressed concern about the ripple effects of sanctions against Russia on their economies.

On this occasion, the US announced $20 million in economic aid to the region, in addition to the $25 million provided last year for an economic and energy program aimed at strengthening regional connectivity.

Therefore, the five Central Asian countries, which are heavily influenced by Russia, need to understand that they must carefully consider their national interests when faced with competition between Russia, the US, and China in the region, avoiding offending any party.

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