China Strengthens Ties with Central Asia: A New Era of Cooperation
The First China-Central Asia Summit, held in Xi'an in 2023, marked a historic milestone in China-Central Asia relations, with President Xi Jinping meeting leaders from five Central Asian countries to establish closer cooperation and build a shared future. This significant diplomatic event resulted in the 'Xi'an Declaration' which established new frameworks for cooperation, advanced the Belt and Road Initiative with Central Asian countries, and strengthened strategic trust and mutual cooperation between China and Central Asian nations. The summit was the first in-person meeting of its kind between China and Central Asian countries, and it helped create a new platform for regional cooperation and multilateral dialogue.
14 June 2025
The event had several significant implications, including establishing a formal heads of state meeting mechanism between China and Central Asian countries, scheduled every two years, and strengthening China's diplomatic influence in the region. The summit also reinforced China's position as Central Asia's largest trading partner, advanced Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, and promoted new areas of cooperation in energy, trade, and infrastructure. In terms of regional security, the summit enhanced security cooperation mechanisms, strengthened regional stability through mutual support, and developed common approaches to addressing regional challenges.
The summit represented a pivotal moment in China-Central Asia relations, marking a shift toward more structured and comprehensive regional cooperation while balancing various international influences in the region. Key figures from the summit included Xi Jinping, who served as host and delivered a keynote speech, as well as attending Central Asian leaders such as Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Sadyr Japarov, and Emomali Rahmon. During the summit, Xi Jinping delivered a speech titled 'Working Together to Build a China-Central Asia Community with a Shared Future Featuring Mutual Assistance, Common Development, Universal Security, and Eternal Friendship', and the leaders jointly signed the 'Xi'an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit'.
The '1-minute recap' of the First Summit's highlights is currently being shared on social media and official news outlets as context for the upcoming Second China-Central Asia Summit in Kazakhstan from June 16-18, 2025. While public engagement and organic discussion on social media seem minimal, official media outlets like People's Daily have shared the content on Weibo with a video recap, focusing on factual reporting of the summit's key moments. The topic is trending due to the upcoming event, making it timely and relevant for Chinese media and social platforms to remind people of the achievements and highlights from the first summit two years ago.
