Overview

• Xi convened leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in Astana for the second China-Central Asia Summit to deepen cooperation on transport, energy, security governance and the digital economy.
• Bilateral trade reached an estimated $95 billion in 2024, making China the region’s top trading partner ahead of Russia and the European Union.
• Summit participants endorsed Belt and Road projects such as the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan-China railway and a highway linking China with Tajikistan and Afghanistan to shorten delivery routes to Europe.
• China secured expanded contracts in Central Asia’s energy and mining sectors, targeting Turkmen gas exports, Kazakh uranium output and rare earth extraction in Tajikistan.
• Central Asian republics leveraged “5+1” summit formats with China, Russia and Western powers to coordinate policies and diversify partnerships away from overdependence on any single external actor.