CGTN: Second China-Central Asia Summit eyes a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future

BEIJING,June 14, 2025/PRNewswire/ --Following the announcement byChina'sForeign Ministry that President Xi Jinping will attend the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana,Kazakhstannext week, CGTN published an article that explores the practical cooperation betweenChinaand the five Central Asian countries. The article also examines how the upcoming summit will contribute to building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana fromJune 16 to 18at the invitation of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

The upcoming summit would present a new opportunity forChinaand the five Central Asian countries –Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,TurkmenistanandUzbekistan– to deepen strategic trust, enhance practical cooperation and jointly contribute stability and positive momentum to a world fraught with uncertainty,Cui Zheng, director of the Research Center forRussia,Eastern Europe, and Central Asian Countries atLiaoningUniversity, told CGTN.

"It will further strengthen the China-Central Asia mechanism, drive more new outcomes inChina-Central Asia cooperation and open a new chapter in the building of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future,"Cui said.

OnJanuary 25, 2022,Chinaand the five Central Asian countries jointly announced building a China-Central Asia community with a shared future. During the first China-Central Asia Summit in 2023, Xi outlined a clear road map for building a closer community, anchored in four key principles: mutual assistance, common development, universal security and everlasting friendship.

Since then, the momentum generated by the first high-level gathering has translated into tangible progress. All six nations are now looking forward to consolidating these achievements and exploring new pathways for deeper regional cooperation.

From strategic consensus to practical cooperation

The inaugural China-Central Asia Summit inMay 2023was a landmark event, marking the institutionalization of a multilateral mechanism that prioritizes peace, development and mutual respect. One of the summit's most significant outcomes was the signing of the Xi'an Declaration, where the six countries pledged to build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

Since then, concrete cooperation projects have been launched in various fields, turning the outcomes of the Xi'an Summit into reality.

For example, theChina-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistanrailway project, long under discussion, has officially entered the construction preparation phase. When completed, it will significantly reduce logistics costs and time, boosting trade efficiency across the region. The railway is expected to connect theAsia-Pacificregion withEurope, offering a new solution for trans-Eurasian transportation.

The railway serves as a vivid example of China-Central Asia practical cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which continues to yield high-quality and tangible outcomes – from connectivity and capacity cooperation to clean energy and infrastructure.

InKazakhstan, theChina-Kazakhstancrude oil and natural gas pipelines and the Shymkent Oil Refinery are operating steadily. InUzbekistan, the 1,500 MW gas-fired power plant project in the Syrdarya region has been commissioned, and the Olympic City project is progressing smoothly. InTajikistan, cooperative projects including government buildings, parliament offices and key sections of Phase II of theChina-Tajikistanhighway are being actively implemented. According to China National Petroleum Corporation, as ofMarch 2025, the cumulative natural gas trade volume betweenTurkmenistanandChina, flowing through the China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline, reached 430 billion cubic meters – equivalent toChina'sentire annual gas consumption.

According toChina'sMinistry of Commerce, trade betweenChinaand the five Central Asian countries exceeded$94.8 billionin 2024, marking a$5.4 billionincrease from 2023. Chinese investment inCentral Asiahas continued to expand, especially in green energy and agricultural processing sectors.

Noting thatCentral Asiais both the"birthplace"and a key demonstration area for the BRI, Professor Cui emphasized that the new summit will further promote high-quality regional cooperation, with rapid advancements in trade and investment.

The upcoming summit will not only be a window to showcase the achievements of multilateral cooperation but also provide a new model for South-South cooperation, he added.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-06-13/China-Central-Asian-countries-seek-closer-ties-at-second-summit-1EaQgdOqZ6E/p.html

SOURCE CGTN