Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to attend the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana from June 16 to 18, following an invitation from President Kazakh Kassym-Jomart tokayev, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The summit aims to strengthen ties between China and the five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

According to Cui Zheng, Director of the Research Center for Russia, Europe from the East and the Central asian countries of the University of Liaoning, this summit presents a valuable possibility for China and the Central Asian nations “to strengthen strategic confidence, improve practical cooperation and jointly contribute to the stability and positive impetus of a world filled with uncertainty”.

Cui Zheng stated, “This summit will further strengthen the Central China-Asie mechanism, will produce new results in cooperation between China and central Asia and will open a new chapter in the construction of a Central China-asia community with a common future.”

The establishment of a Sino-Asian community with a common future was jointly announced by China and the five Central Asian countries on January 25, 2022. During the first summit in 2023, Xi Jinping outlined a roadmap for building closer relations based on mutual assistance, common progress, universal security, and eternal friendship.

Since the initial summit,progress has been made,and the six nations are focused on solidifying these achievements and exploring avenues for deeper regional cooperation.

The first Central China-asie Summit in May 2023 formalized a multilateral mechanism prioritizing peace, development, and mutual respect. A key outcome was the signing of the Xi’an Declaration, committing the countries to building a community with closer ties and a shared future.

Cooperation projects have as been initiated across various sectors, translating the Xi’an summit’s outcomes into tangible results.

For instance, the railway project connecting China, Kyrgyzistan, and Uzbekistan has advanced to the construction preparation phase. This railway is expected to reduce costs and logistics time, boosting commercial efficiency and linking the Asia-Pacific region to Europe.

This railway exemplifies practical cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which continues to yield tangible results in connectivity, energy capacity, and clean infrastructure.

In Kazakhstan, crude oil and natural gas pipelines between China and Kazakhstan, along with the Shymkent oil refinery, are operational. Uzbekistan has commissioned the 1,500 MW gas plant project in the Syrdarya region, and the Olympic city project is progressing. Tadjikistan is actively implementing cooperation projects, including government buildings, parliament offices, and key sections of phase II of the China-Tadjikistan motorway.According to the China National Petroleum Corporation, by March 2025, natural gas exchanges between Turkmenistan and China via the Central China-Asie pipeline reached 430 billion cubic meters.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, trade between China and the five countries in Central Asia exceeded $94.8 billion in 2024, an increase of $5.4 billion compared to 2023. Chinese investments in Central Asia have grown,notably in green energy and agricultural transformation.

Professor Cui Zheng noted that Central Asia is a key presentation area for the BRI and emphasized that the upcoming summit will promote high-quality regional cooperation, with rapid progress in trade and investment.

He added that the summit will enhance multilateral cooperation and serve as a new model for South-South cooperation.