On January 25, 2022, China hosted a virtual summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties with the Central Asian states. Two days later, on January 27th, India also gathered all central Asian leaders to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Heads of states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan participated in both virtual summits. Given the traditional competition between China and India, the coincided two summit meetings are considered under their larger matrix of geopolitical rivalry, along with their competition for influence in the Central Asian region.
PDFDr. Albina Muratbekova is a research fellow at the Eurasian Research Institute of Akhmet Yassawi Kazakh Turkish International University. Albina holds a PhD degree in Oriental Studies from Al Farabi Kazakh National University. During her studies, Albina received fellowships from institutions in China, India, the USA, the UK, Germany, and Switzerland. Her primary research interests cover Central, East, and South Asian affairs; intraregional and interregional cooperation of Central Asian states; China-India relations; and Central Asian politics.