Beijing, June 15 — Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to attend the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana from June 16 to 18, at the invitation of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday. The summit aims to deepen strategic trust and enhance cooperation between China and the five Central Asian nations.
The upcoming summit presents a new opportunity for China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to strengthen ties and contribute to regional stability. “It will further solidify the China-Central Asia mechanism, drive new outcomes in cooperation, and open a new chapter in building a community with a shared future,” said Cui Zheng, director of the Research Center for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asian Countries at Liaoning University.
In January 2022, China and the Central Asian countries jointly announced their commitment to build a community with a shared future. During the first China-Central Asia Summit in 2023, President Xi outlined a roadmap anchored in four key principles: mutual assistance, common development, universal security, and everlasting friendship.
Since then, significant progress has been made. All six nations are now looking forward to consolidating achievements and exploring new pathways for deeper regional cooperation.
From Strategic Consensus to Practical Cooperation
The inaugural China-Central Asia Summit in May 2023 marked a milestone in institutionalizing a multilateral mechanism prioritizing peace, development, and mutual respect. A significant outcome was the signing of the Xi’an Declaration, where the nations pledged to build a closer community with a shared future.
Concrete cooperation projects have since been launched across various fields. For instance, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project has entered the construction preparation phase. Once completed, it will significantly reduce logistics costs and time, boosting trade efficiency across the region. The railway is expected to connect the Asia-Pacific region with Europe, offering a new solution for trans-Eurasian transportation.
This project exemplifies practical cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), yielding tangible outcomes in connectivity, energy, and infrastructure. In Kazakhstan, projects like the China-Kazakhstan crude oil and natural gas pipelines and the Shymkent Oil Refinery are operating steadily. In Uzbekistan, the 1,500 MW gas-fired power plant in the Syrdarya region has been commissioned, and the Olympic City project is progressing smoothly.
According to China National Petroleum Corporation, as of March 2023, the cumulative natural gas trade volume between Turkmenistan and China, through the China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline, reached 430 billion cubic meters—equivalent to China’s entire annual gas consumption.
Trade between China and the five Central Asian countries exceeded $94.8 billion in 2022, marking a $5.4 billion increase from the previous year, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce. Chinese investment in Central Asia continues to expand, especially in green energy and agricultural processing sectors.
“Central Asia is both the birthplace and a key demonstration area for the BRI,” said Professor Cui. “The new summit will further promote high-quality regional cooperation, with rapid advancements in trade and investment.” He added that the upcoming summit will showcase the achievements of multilateral cooperation and provide a new model for South-South cooperation.
