“Central Asia – China”: a long-term model of regional interaction

On June 17, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will take part in the second “Central Asia-China” summit, which will be held in the capital of Kazakhstan Astana.

The main goal of this platform is to increase efforts to strengthen the multifaceted ties of the states of the region with China, as well as the development of interregional cooperation.

The agenda of the format is to exchange views on the global and regional agenda, strengthening cooperation in such areas as politics, security, trade, economics, investment, transport, regional connectivity, agriculture, energy, “green” energy, customs affairs, cultural and humanitarian sphere, coupling of national development strategies with the “One Belt, One Road” initiative.

The “Central Asia – China” dialogue, which is becoming systemic, is aimed, first of all, at obtaining mutual economic benefits. Over the past few years, China has consistently ranked among the leading trading partners of Central Asian countries. With the participation of Chinese capital, dozens of projects in the field of industry, energy, transport, logistics and trade are being implemented in all countries of the region.

The number of joint ventures created by Central Asian and Chinese partners today is about 6 thousand. The region's total trade with China was $94.8 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $100 billion in 2025.

Central Asia is a key element of the Belt and Road strategy, which is undertaking large-scale construction of roads, trade hubs and logistics infrastructure to create new transport corridors to Europe.

The first “Central Asia – China” summit took place on May 18-19, 2023 in Xi’an. The Xi'an summit ended with the signing of the Xi'an Declaration, the establishment of a mechanism for meetings of heads of state every two years, alternately in China and one of the countries in the region, as well as intensified interaction at the interdepartmental level. As a result, 9 multilateral documents were signed and 19 platforms for cooperation were created.

In particular, within the framework of the format, such multilateral cooperation mechanisms were launched as meetings of ministers of agriculture, ministers of internal affairs, ministers of foreign affairs, ministers of education, ministers of transport, heads of customs services, ministers of economics and trade, forums of think tanks, news agencies and others.

Preparations for the second Central Asia-China summit began with the VI meeting of foreign ministers in Almaty in April 2025, where the agenda was discussed and documents planned for signing during the multilateral summit meeting in Astana were agreed upon.

According to analysts, this format promises to turn into a long-term system of regional cooperation.

As an active participant in the “Central Asia – China” format, Uzbekistan successfully continues to interact with the PRC on a bilateral basis. A close, trusting political dialogue has been established between the leaders of the two countries, which gives bilateral cooperation a stable and dynamic character.

In 2022, Uzbekistan and China brought bilateral relations to the level of an all-season strategic partnership. This status reflects a high degree of mutual trust, sustainability of cooperation and the readiness of both parties for close cooperation, regardless of the international situation. It confirms the intention of Uzbekistan and China to strengthen multifaceted relations on a long-term basis.

One ​​of the important factors of such progress is the structural reforms carried out under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. They created conditions for attracting large foreign investors to the country, including Chinese corporations. Chinese companies are actively involved in the implementation of joint projects in the fields of energy, construction, mechanical engineering, chemistry, textile industry and others.

Today China is the leading trade and economic partner of Uzbekistan. In 2024, trade turnover exceeded $13 billion. The Uzbek-Chinese Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee has been operating since 2011, the 7th meeting of which was held in Tashkent on May 13, 2024.

The PRC continues to be a leader among Uzbekistan’s investment partners. In 2024, 64 projects were launched with a total value of $1.9 billion, and the total volume of disbursed Chinese investments for 2017-2024 amounted to $23.1 billion. Currently, there are over 3.5 thousand enterprises in our country with the participation of Chinese investments. 220 of them were created in 2025.

Interparliamentary and interregional cooperation is actively developing, cultural and humanitarian exchanges are expanding, which reflects a high level of mutual trust and the desire to deepen comprehensive ties. The historical ties between the peoples of the two countries provide a powerful foundation for this.

The constructive nature of Uzbek-Chinese relations sets a positive tone for the entire regional agenda, plays an important role in strengthening the partnership and is one of the key factors in increasing the effectiveness of cooperation in the “Central Asia – China” format.

As expected, the upcoming “Central Asia - China” summit in Astana will give new impetus to the consolidation of the region on the most pressing and pressing issues.

The participation of the head of our state in this meeting will once again confirm Uzbekistan’s commitment to strengthening an atmosphere of trust, good neighborliness and a constructive search for mutually acceptable approaches to solving pressing regional and international issues problems.

IA “Dunyo”