August, 2023
On May 18–19, 2023, Xi’an city in China’s northwest Shaanxi Province hosted the inaugural China–Central Asia Summit. Chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the summit was joined by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Uzbekistan’s President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Central Asian leaders came to China with their state visits and stayed there from May 16 to May 20, with the exception of the leader of Turkmenistan.
The summit was the first offline gathering with all heads of government since the formation of the China+C5 format. Underscoring its “milestone significance”, the summit opened a new development phase in China’s cooperation with Central Asian states [Xinhua, 2023]. To confirm the intention to enhance and sustain collaboration between states, the sides agreed to institutionalize the mechanism with the establishment of a permanent secretariat in China and organizing a biennial summit, the next of which is scheduled for 2025 in Kazakhstan.
As a result of the events, one can note the growing importance of Central Asia in China’s foreign policy and Central Asian leaders’ aspirations to leverage China’s win-win diplomacy with the region. First of all, it is seen in the economic outcomes of the summit. China had promised the five Central Asian nations new loans and grants totaling $3.7 billion to build up their development capacity [Xinhua, 2023]. Separately, Kazakhstan declared signing of 22 documents worth over $22 billion [MFA RK, 2023], Kyrgyzstan concluded projects worth over $1 billion [24.kg, 2023], Tajikistan had signed 25 documents without disclosing the amount [nCa Report, 2023], and Uzbekistan achieved agreements on 41 documents that cost over $25 billion [Sputnik News, 2023]. Noteworthy, the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, had already paid a state visit to China in January 2023, which also resulted in a large number of agreements. Other than that, Kyrgyzstan had raised the bar for its relations with China to a comprehensive strategic partnership level.
The Xi’an Declaration, signed as a result of the summit, outlined several mechanisms for sustaining the achieved results, such as the creation of a joint Strategy for the New Economic Dialogue “Central Asia-China”, the regular holding of the Central Asia-China Business Council, and the Forum of Industrial and Investment Cooperation “Central Asia-China”, among others [nCa, 2023].
The choice of Xi’an, the ancient capital city where the eastern side of the historic Silk Road was started and where the first journey during the Han Dynasty was made to Central Asia, was chosen as a reminder of centuries-old contacts between regions. In his speech, President Xi Jinping connected the legacy of Xi’an with the trade networks that continue to flourish today. China is currently the leading trading partner for Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, the second largest for Kazakhstan, and the third largest for Tajikistan. By 2030, trade between China and Central Asian nations, which was $70 billion in 2022, is expected to increase to $100 billion [CGTN, 2023].
President Xi Jinping also described the China-Tajikistan highway that traverses the Pamir Plateau, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway crossing the Tianshan Mountain, the China-Kazakhstan crude oil pipeline, the China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline passing the desert, and the China-Europe Railway Express connecting Eurasia as modern caravan systems [Xinhua, 2023]. Further, the present Belt and Road Initiative, which was unveiled in September 2013 in Kazakhstan at Nazarbayev University, was emphasized as an effective resuscitation of the historic interconnectedness that China and Central Asian states aim to expand.
Central Asian leaders, in turn, also mentioned in their speeches the importance paid to developing connectivity and infrastructure. In particular, President Tokayev, while highlighting the importance of transport infrastructure, attended the ceremony launching the construction of Kazakhstan’s logistics center at Xian’s dry port and agreed on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. China, in turn, claimed support for the construction of a cross-Caspian Sea international transport corridor [MFA RK, 2023]. The presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan both emphasized the importance of facilitation in the implementation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway construction project [Sputnik.kg, 2023; Sputnik news, 2023]. So far, the parties have finished the feasibility studies and evaluation. Tajikistan is interested in widening its connectivity by accelerating the modernization of the China-Tajikistan-Uzbekistan route to use the potential of the Kuriab Logistics Centre for the development of the China-Tajikistan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Türkiye multimodal transport corridor, along with the creation of an economic corridor “China-Tajikistan-Northern Afghanistan,” for which the construction of a section of the Varshez road and reconstruction of the checkpoint in Tajikistan are essential [nCa Report, 2023].
In the Xi’an Declaration, all mentioned projects were acknowledged, while boosting transportation potential that simultaneously facilitates trade and investment opportunities was among the main areas of negotiations between statesmen and businessmen. Hence, along with advancing transport infrastructure, the sides paid attention to the modernization of border procedures and mechanisms, including the opening of “green lanes” for agricultural and sideline products; opening new and direct air transportation routes both for passengers and cargo; building a regional logistics network; and simplification of visa regimes. These measures aim to boost cross-border freight volume and facilitate trade and investment flows both ways. Regarding visa policies, China and Kazakhstan reached an agreement on a mutual 30-day visa-free regime, which indicates the level of interest in close interaction between people and businesses between the two states.
On top of that, by enhancing connectivity with Central Asia, China seeks, following its Global Development Initiative, to contribute to improving the well-being of people by promoting the reduction of poverty and developing green and low-carbon projects. China’s assistance, valued at $3.72 billion, goes towards reducing poverty through science and technology and promoting the creation of jobs locally.
During the summit sessions, cooperation in the area of energy development was among the priority fields. At the multilateral level, the sides concluded to create a “Central Asia-China” partnership on energy development, while bilaterally, partners signed multiple projects to intensify energy cooperation, including green and nuclear energy. Green innovation was also on the agenda, and both sides agreed to share high-tech decisions in soil and water, conduct joint research on agriculture in arid lands, and address the Aral Sea ecological disaster.
Cultural and humanitarian cooperation with an emphasis on education, science, culture, tourism, sports, and media was highlighted by all members. These goals intersect with China’s Global Civilization Initiative, which, according to President Xi’s aspirations, sees its mission as advocating respect for the diversity of civilizations and promoting civilization’s prosperity and progress [Lixin, 2023]. Chinese invited colleagues from Central Asia to participate in the Cultural Silk Road project, while all welcomed the launch of the Year of Culture and Art of the Peoples of Central Asia and China and the Youth Festival of Arts “Central Asia-China”. Academic and student exchanges, sports competitions, joint archaeological expeditions, and joint projects on preserving cultural heritage were mentioned as potential areas of cooperation. China is also interested in encouraging Central Asian students to study in China by providing scholarships, inviting Central Asian experts to share their knowledge at Chinese universities, and promoting vocational education.
The third global initiative put out by President Xi Jinping, the Global Security Initiative, which seeks to enhance global security governance and address complex and intertwined security challenges, was also mentioned within the Central Asian cooperation framework [FM PRC, 2023]. As President Xi pointed out, “The world needs a stable Central Asia”, China is interested in supporting the sovereignty, security, independence, and territorial integrity of Central Asian countries and is ready to provide its assistance in strengthening law enforcement, security, and defense. China is also eager to assist in providing mechanisms of coordination and support for peace and stability in Afghanistan. At the same time, China advocates non-interference in domestic affairs and is interested in safeguarding peace in the region. The Xi’an Declaration also underlined the importance of promoting the “Central Asia-China Digital Data Security Cooperation Initiative”.
The summit between China and the Central Asian states therefore resulted in political and institutional advancement as well as the implementation of a number of agreements to further shared development objectives. Aside from the practical results of the summit and substantial assistance from China, attention was paid to the geopolitical leverage of the summit given China’s host status. The summit coincided with the G7 Hiroshima Summit 2023, where the concept of “de-risking” against China’s economic coercion was among the major topics of discussion. The outcomes of the G7 Summit and the China-Central Asia Summit demonstrate China’s deliberate intention to isolate itself from the U.S.-led world and concentrate its efforts on developing countries, where Central Asia strengthens its position. The results of both meetings signaled the process of “the calcification of a multipolar world,” with the power shift towards the Global South and developing worlds being part of China’s geopolitical strategy [The Japan Times, 2023]. Another parallel to China’s engagement with Central Asia was drawn in connection to Russia’s sanctions and its influence on relations with Central Asian states. While some speculate about Russia’s fears of China stepping up its regional ties with Central Asia, given the strengthening of China-Russia bonhomie and coherence in bolstering the anti-Western coalition, the summit results cannot validate those worries.
Overall, China has been advocating its global governance efforts with the implementation of its new global initiatives, such as the Global Civilization Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative, that aspire to build strong communities with a shared future for mankind. The Xi’an Declaration, along with bilateral agreements, emphasized commitment to China’s efforts and implementation of its global initiatives within the partnership with Central Asian states. To conclude, the past summit demonstrated the rising importance of Central Asia in China’s global diplomacy and Central Asia’s maturity in providing the desired space for that.
References:
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Note: The views expressed in this blog are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the Institute’s editorial policy.