China and Central Asia: Good-Neighborliness and friendly cooperation

In June 2025, Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, embraces the second China-Central Asia Summit with open arms. This marks the second gathering of the leaders of the six countries after the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit in 2023 in Xi'an, where a comprehensive blueprint for cooperation was laid out. With the friendship of neighborhood and the pragmatic action of companions, they sound the strong voice of a shared future in the hinterland of Eurasia.

Walking on the Same Path: Mutual Respect as the Cornerstone   

Boundary issues are a key factor affecting the relations of newly independent countries and regional stability. With great sincerity and wisdom, China, together with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, creatively established the “Shanghai Five” mechanism through equal consultation. This mechanism has successfully resolved the complex boundary issues left over from history and set an excellent example for the world in settling territorial disputes through peace talks.

The proposal of the “Belt and Road Initiative” in 2013 has pushed China-Central Asia cooperation to a new level. China regards Central Asia as an important partner and a key hub in jointly building the “Belt and Road”. The Central Asian countries have also actively responded by effectively integrating their own development strategies with the “Belt and Road Initiative”.

The official establishment of the China-Central Asia mechanism in July 2020 is a milestone in the development of bilateral relations. The mechanism provides a higher-level, more institutionalized, and more sustainable guarantee for all-round cooperation, with its core spirit based on the profound political trust and mutual respect.

In recent years, head-of-state diplomacy between the two sides has set the course. Frequent interactions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the leaders of five Central Asian nations have continuously injected vitality into the strategic partnership. Meanwhile, through platforms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, China and the Central Asian countries have maintained close communication on major international and regional issues, firmly supported each other's core interests and major concerns, and jointly safeguarded international fairness and justice, thus becoming a model in practicing true multilateralism.

Mutual respect is the cornerstone of the relationship between China and the Central Asian countries, which has been forged through shared trials and growth for more than 30 years. It is reflected in the sincerity of peacefully resolving border issues, embodied in the equal consultation in jointly building the “Belt and Road”, and further sublimated under the consensus and institutional guarantees of the China-Central Asia community of a shared future. It is this core principle, deeply rooted in profound civilization and strategic wisdom, that has paved the way for good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries.

Common Prosperity: Achieving Mutual Benefits   

China and the five Central Asian countries are indispensable strategic partners and important external environments for each other in development. Over the more than 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two sides have always held high the banner of win-win cooperation and common development. This has provided strong impetus for stable development and also opened up broad prospects for regional prosperity.

China and the Central Asian countries have highly mutually complementary economic structures and enjoy unique advantages in terms of cooperation potentials. In 2024, the trade volume between China and the Central Asian countries reached $94.8 billion, an increase of 6% compared with that in 2023. China has remained Central Asia’s largest trading partner for consecutive years, significantly ahead of other economies. Especially in recent years, the “Belt and Road Initiative” has activated the potential of Central Asia as a bridge and hub, and restructured the new economic pattern of the Eurasian region.

The infrastructure development is booming. China-Europe Railway Express Central-Asia Line continues to expand capacity. In 2024, the volume of transit cargo through countries such as Kazakhstan saw a significant increase, further consolidating the position of Central Asia as a land bridge.

Trade and investment are flourishing. By 2023, China's stock of direct investment in all sectors in the five Central Asian countries had exceeded $15 billion.

Cooperation in new quality productive forces is thriving. Several Central Asian countries have incorporated Chinese technological solutions into their smart-city planning. International institutions have assessed that the China-Central Asia Economic Corridor has become one of the core engines for regional growth.

The “lifeline” of energy flow is unobstructed. By the end of 2024, the China-Central Asia Natural Gas Pipeline (Lines A, B, and C) had cumulatively transported over 500 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China.

Under the complex situation where the global economy is facing unilateralism, protectionism, and challenges to the international trade order, China and Central Asian countries insist on openness, cooperation and mutual benefit. The deepening practical cooperation between the two sides has not only strongly promoted their economic and social development and improvements in people's livelihoods, demonstrating the resilience of their cooperation, but also become a ballast for regional economic stability and prosperity.

Understanding and Connection: Mutual Learning of Civilizations   

Fine relations between nations hinge on genuine mutual understanding and connection. Civilization, like water, nourishes all things silently and subtly. The ancient Silk Road has long embedded cultural genes into the blood of each other. In the new era, interactions are more committed to transcending cultural barriers through cultural exchanges, building a bridge that reaches straight to hearts.

In recent years, education cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries has been thriving. In 2024, the number of Central Asian students studying in China continued to grow, with over 14,000 students from Kazakhstan alone, the highest among Central Asian countries. Meanwhile, cultural exchanges have become increasingly frequent. The “Luban Workshop” (named after ancient Chinese craftsman Luban) has been established in several Central Asian countries, training technical talents in fields such as automotive manufacturing and new energy. China and Central Asian countries have also organized performances, exhibitions, and cultural years for each other.

In November 2023, the visa exemption agreement between China and Kazakhstan took effect. This policy significantly boosted tourism, leading to the continuous increase in flight frequency on routes such as Xi'an-Almaty. In 2024, the scale of two-way personnel exchanges reached a record high. In addition, the construction of institutional platforms is also being effectively advanced. In March 2024, the secretariat of the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism was officially launched to coordinate the implementation of the outcomes of the summit. Currently, China and the Central Asian countries have formed nearly 100 pairs of sister provinces, cities, and towns, which have effectively promoted in-depth local cooperation.

As good neighbors, partners, friends, and brothers who share weal and woe, China and the five Central Asian countries are walking hand in hand on the broad road of mutual respect, mutual benefit, and cultural exchanges. China-Central Asia cooperation will not only become a stabilizer for the development of the Eurasian continent, but also inject positive energy into the world undergoing turbulence and changes.

Contributed by Liu Dan, guest researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Translated by Zheng Yiyang