Astana (TDI): Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Kazakhstan’s capital on Monday to attend the second China–Central Asia Summit, a high-level diplomatic meeting to deepen Beijing’s economic and strategic ties with the five Central Asian Republics.
The main event of the Summit took place yesterday, joined by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Xi will fly back home today, which makes his stay in Atana a total of three days, reflecting on how much importance Chinese foreign policy is attaching to this region.
The discussions, during the Summit, covered the effectiveness of China–Central Asia cooperation mechanism, regional security, and strengthening cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
President Xi Jinping, at the second China-Central Asia Summit, emphasized:
Today we will sign a treaty on eternal good-neighborliness, friendship, and cooperation to enshrine the principle of everlasting friendship in law. This is a new landmark in the history of relations… pic.twitter.com/fOQY8GnfDg
— Lin Jian 林剑 (@SpoxCHN_LinJian) June 18, 2025
“China’s relations with Central Asian countries have entered a new era,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, talking about the Summit. “This summit will deepen mutual trust even further and bring concrete benefits to all six countries.”
Lin also told the media earlier that President Xi would hold private meetings with each of the five Central Asian leaders to talk about long-term cooperation goals.
On top of the summit agenda was a planned $8 billion railway project that will link China’s Xinjiang province and Uzbekistan via Kyrgyzstan.
Read More: Xi Sees Bright Future for China-Kyrgyzstan Ties
The project will kickstart next month and will be completed by 2030. The link via railway is expected to increase China’s access to Central Asian markets while simultaneously decreasing the region’s dependency on Russian infrastructure.
China has made huge investments in the region, at an estimated cost of $26 billion in Kazakhstan alone. The economic footprint of Beijing is part of its larger Belt and Road Initiative, where Central Asia is considered to be of central strategic significance to the trade between Europe and China.
With the summit being hosted in Astana, it not only shows China’s persistent presence in Central Asia but also cements Beijing’s position as a significant economic and diplomatic power in the region.
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