Two months after hosting the First Central Asia-European Union (CA-EU) Summit in Samarkand, the five Central Asian states—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan — are hosting the second China-Central Asia Summit, underscoring the growing importance of this region in Eurasian geopolitics.
The summit kicked off in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 16 and is attended by President Xi Jinping. This is Jinping’s second trip to the region in under a year. Incidentally, Jinping also presided over the first China-Central Asia Summit in 2023 in Xi’an, China.
Jinping’s frequent trips to the region underscore the growing importance China is giving to this strategic region, often considered Russia’s backyard, as Moscow remains occupied with its war in Ukraine, now running in its fourth year.
The China-EU Rivalry In Central Asia
Notably, the China-Central Asia Summit comes just two months after the first-ever Central Asia-European Union (CA-EU) Summit in Samarkand in April this year. During the summit, the EU committed to investing 12 billion euros (approximately US$13.6 billion) in Central Asian infrastructure.
Specific allocations included €3 billion (approximately USD 3.47 billion) for transport, €6.4 billion (approximately USD 7.40 billion) for energy projects, and €100 million (approximately USD 115.56 billion) for satellite internet development, aiming to connect over 2,000 schools and 1,700 villages in Central Asia.
The EU and Central Asian leaders also agreed to elevate their relationship to a strategic partnership.
A key focus of the summit was the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), aimed at reducing cargo transit time between Europe and Central Asia to 15 days, thereby bypassing Russia. The EU committed €10 billion (USD 11.56 billion) to this corridor, with plans for a 2025 Investors’ Forum in Uzbekistan to further develop it.
Through these investment proposals, the EU sent a clear message that it is an important player in the region that can not be ignored.
The Second China-Central Asia Summit
This is the second China-Central Asia summit, following China’s hosting of the first summit in 2023 in Xi’an.
The summit in Astana brings together Xi, who arrived in the Kazakh capital on Monday, and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
Under Russia’s orbit until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the five countries of Central Asia have courted interest from major powers, including China and the United States, since gaining independence.
The region is rich in natural resources and strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.
In a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on June 17, Xi called for the two countries to “scale up trade and investment and expand cooperation in emerging sectors”, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
The two sides should “advance high-quality construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and foster new drivers of growth in clean energy, green minerals and artificial intelligence”, Xi reportedly said.
In talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Xi said Beijing “firmly supports Tajikistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and security”, according to Xinhua.
The Chinese leader also held talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, according to Beijing’s state media.
While Central Asian leaders continue to view Russia as a strategic partner, ties with Moscow have loosened since the war in Ukraine.
The five nations are capitalizing on the growing interest in their region and coordinating their foreign policies. They regularly hold summits with China and Russia to present the region as a unified bloc and attract investment.
“The countries of the region are balancing between different centres of power, wanting to protect themselves from excessive dependence on one partner,” Kyrgyz political scientist Nargiza Muratalieva told AFP.
China Biggest Trade Partner Of The Region
Russia says China’s growing influence in the region does not pose a threat.
“There is no reason for such fears. China is our privileged strategic partner, and the countries of Central Asia, naturally, are our natural historical partners,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
But China has now established itself as Central Asia’s leading trading partner, far outstripping the EU and Russia.
Central Asia is also an important target for China in its Belt and Road initiative — which uses huge infrastructure investments as a political and diplomatic lever.
Construction of the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan-China railway and the China-Tajikistan highway, which runs through the Pamir Mountains to Afghanistan, are among the planned investments.
New border crossings and “dry ports” have already been established to facilitate trade, such as Khorgos in Kazakhstan, one of the world’s largest logistics hubs.
“Neither Russia nor Western institutions are capable of allocating financial resources for infrastructure so quickly and on such a large scale, sometimes bypassing transparent procedures,” said Muratalieva.
Kazakhstan announced last week that Russia would lead the construction of its first nuclear power plant, but it also expressed interest in having China build the second.
“Central Asia is rich in natural resources such as oil, gas, uranium, gold, and other minerals that the rapidly developing Chinese economy needs,” Muratalieva said.
“Ensuring uninterrupted supplies of these resources, bypassing unstable sea routes, is an important goal of Beijing,” the analyst added.
Tectonic Shifts In Central Asian Geopolitics
Central Asia is fast emerging as the centre of a new Great Game between Russia, China, Turkey, and the EU, for influence in the strategically important region.
The region is rich in natural resources and lies at the crossroads of Europe, China, Russia, and West Asia. The region is also central to China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative.
However, the region has been shaped by diverse historical, cultural, and religious influences.
Most Central Asian countries have deep linguistic, ethnic, religious, and cultural connections with Turkey.
In the 19th century, as Imperial Russia expanded southwards in Central Asia, these countries gradually came under the influence of Tsarist Russia. Following Turkey’s defeat in the First World War, the end of the Ottoman Empire, and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia in 1917, these countries joined the Soviet Union.
However, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, these autonomous republics within the Soviet Union declared independence.
Due to this history, Russia and Turkey have a significant influence in the region. In the 21st century, China emerged as a new player in this region. China’s interests were multi-fold. Beijing sought to harness the region’s enormous natural resources for its industries and tap the vast hydrocarbon potential of Central Asia to meet its ever-growing energy needs.
Beijing also sought to capitalize on the geostrategic location of these countries at the crossroads between Asia and Europe for its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Central Asia is a key region for the success of China’s USD 1.75 trillion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project.
Turkey, Russia, and China also established multilateral platforms to enhance their diplomatic influence in Central Asia.
Russia established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 1991, a loose grouping of 12 former Soviet Republics, including the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
China established the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2001 with Russia and the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The organization currently has 10 members.
Turkey established the Organization of Turkic States in 2009 to promote cooperation among Turkic-speaking countries. It comprises five member states: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan. Observer status is granted to Turkmenistan, Hungary, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The European Union (EU) is a relatively new player in Central Asian geopolitics. Following the Russia-Ukraine war and US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the EU is trying to formulate an independent foreign policy to counter Russia and China’s rising influence and balance the US’s strategic withdrawal from Europe.
The EU-Central Asia summit in April this year was the first significant step in that direction.
- With Inputs From AFP
