China-Central Asia Second Summit: Building a Stronger Future Together

Strengthening Ties: The Second China-Central Asia Summit

As President Xi Jinping prepares to attend the second China-Central Asia summit in Astana, Kazakhstan from June 16 to 18, stakeholders are optimistic about the potential for deeper cooperation between China and five key Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. This summit presents a crucial opportunity to not only solidify strategic partnerships but also to foster economic growth and mutual benefit amidst a world filled with uncertainties.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in its announcement, underscored the significance of this meeting. According to Cui Zheng, Director of the Research Center for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia at Liaoning University, this summit will enhance mechanisms for collaboration and yield new developments that align with the shared vision of a common future between China and Central Asia.

Since the first summit that took place in May 2023, the nations involved have seen tangible progress. Notably, on January 25, 2022, these countries issued a commitment towards building a China-Central Asia community with a shared future, emphasizing principles such as mutual support, common development, universal security, and everlasting friendship. This framework has set the stage for subsequent collaborative projects and initiatives.

Among these initiatives, significant infrastructure projects like the delayed railway project connecting China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are now officially moving into construction preparation. This railway is designed to substantially reduce logistics costs and transit times, thereby enhancing trade efficiency across the region. Once completed, it will link the Asia-Pacific with Europe—a critical transit route aimed at facilitating smoother trade across Eurasia.

The railway exemplifies practical cooperation outlined in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as it continues to foster impactful outcomes across various sectors, from connectivity to green energy and infrastructure. In Kazakhstan, oil and gas pipelines are now operational, while a new oil refinery in Shymkent has begun functioning. Uzbekistan has launched a 1,500-MW gas power plant project in the Syrdarya region, and Tajikistan is actively implementing government building projects, parliamentary offices, and crucial highway extensions connecting China and Tajikistan. According to the China National Petroleum Corporation, the gas trade volume flowing from Turkmenistan to China through pipelines reached a staggering 430 billion cubic meters by March 2025, matching China's annual gas consumption.

Trade between China and Central Asia has also been on the rise, reaching over $94.8 billion in 2024, an increase of $5.4 billion from the previous year. There’s a notable uptick in Chinese investments within Central Asia, predominantly focusing on green energy and agricultural processing. The region, viewed as both a birthplace and a demonstration area for the BRI, is expected to experience further enhancements in regional cooperation following the summit, as pointed out by Professor Cui. The summit is not only a showcase of multilateral collaboration successes but also a potential model for South-South cooperation.

The gathering is viewed as a pivotal moment, laying down new pathways for cooperation that will likely shape the geopolitical landscape in the region. With aspirations for stabilizing an uncertain world through infrastructural support and robust economic connections, the second China-Central Asia summit is set to act as a beacon of hope for the longer term trends of collaboration and development in Central Asia and beyond.