China’s Xi in Kazakhstan to cement ‘eternal’ Central Asia ties

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Astana: Xi Jinping celebrated China’s “eternal friendship” with Central Asia at a summit in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, as the Chinese leader blew up prices and tried to emphasize Beijing’s influence in a region of Russia.

The summit in Astana gathered XI with leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Until the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, under the orbit of Russia, five Central Asian states have taken interest in major powers, including China, the European Union and the United States.

At the summit, the group signed a “eternal” friendship agreement when XI called for a close relationship with the resource -rich region.

“We should … strengthen cooperation with more business attitude and more practical steps,” XI said in a comment by the State News Agency Xinhua.

Central Asia is also seen as an important logistics center, in view of its strategic location between China, Russia, the Middle East and Europe.

‘No winner’

When Western leaders gathered on the other side of the world for the G7 in Canada, XI refreshed his criticism of US President Donald Trump’s trade policies.

“There is no winner of tariff war and trade wars,” Sinhava said.

Although the Central Asian leaders view Russia as a strategic partner, relations with Moscow have been loose since the war in Ukraine.

China has also shown willingness to invest in large -scale infrastructure projects in the region, which is part of its belt and road Initiative, which uses such financial support as political and diplomatic liver.

At a meeting with the President of Kyrgyzstan, XI called for steps to advance the high quality construction of the China-Kergazistan-Ozbakistan Railway and promote new drivers of development in clean energy, green minerals and artificial intelligence.

Five Central Asian countries are trying to take advantage of the growing interest in their region and accordingly harmonizing their foreign policies.

They regularly summit with China and Russia to present the region as a united block and attract investment.

High -level “5+1” format talks with the European Union, the United States, Turkey and other Western countries have also been organized.

“The countries of the region are balanced among the various centers of power, who want to protect themselves from a colleague,” Kyrgyz political scientist Narajiza Maratalifa told AFP.

The largest trading partner

Russia says there is no danger to China’s growing impact in the region.

“There is no reason for such fear,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. China is our privileged strategic partner, and Central Asian countries are naturally our natural historical partners. “

But China has now established itself as Central Asia’s leading trading partner, much more than the European Union and Russia.

In its planned investment, the construction of the China Tajikistan Highway and the China Tajikistan Highway, Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan China Railway and the China Tajikistan Highway, which passes through the Pamir Mountains, is also involved in investment.

One of the world’s largest logistics centers, Kazakhstan has already crossed border crossing and “dry ports” to carry out trade -like trade in Kazakhstan.

“Neither Russia nor Western institutions are eligible to allocate financial resources for such a quick and such large -scale infrastructure, sometimes neglecting transparent procedures,” said Marathaifa.

Kazakhstan said last week that Russia would lead to the construction of its first nuclear power plant, but it wants China to build the second.

“Central Asia is rich in natural resources such as oil, gas, uranium, gold and other minerals that need a rapidly growing Chinese economy,” said Marathaifa.

The analyst added, “Ensuring uninterrupted supply of these resources, ignoring unstable maritime routes, is an important purpose in Beijing.”

Human rights

China is also positioned by itself as a supporter of the Central Asian leadership.

At the last Central Summit in Central Asia, XI called for “resistance to external intervention”, which could incite “colorful revolutions” that could eliminate the region’s current leaders.

“Beijing sees the stability of the Central Asian states as a guarantee of security for its western borders,” said Maratlaifa.

The Central Asia border, China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, where Beijing is accused of detaining more than a million Ughur and other Muslims, the UN has said that a part of a campaign could lead to crimes against humanity.