WNAM REPORT: The summit hald on 17 June 2025 in Astana, Kazakhstan facilitated significant economic advancements, with the signing of 58 agreements valued at nearly $25 billion during the China-Central Asia Industrial and Investment Cooperation Forum. These agreements span multiple sectors, including green technology, energy, agriculture, and infrastructure, reflecting a commitment to high-quality development.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also addressed the summit.
Following the event, the heads of state signed the Astana Declaration of the second Central Asia-China summit and the Treaty on Eternal Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship, and Cooperation.
The summit produced a raft of consensuses across areas ranging from security and trade to regional development. Officials and analysts, who spoke to Xinhua, highlighted key themes of the summit, including Belt and Road cooperation and the deepening of China-Central Asia ties.
China Central Asia Spirit
The spirit of “mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit and mutual assistance for the joint pursuit of modernization through high-quality development. The participants firmly support each other in safeguarding independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity. This spirit will become a powerful driving force for future cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, helping to forge a closer community with a shared future.
New Cooperation Centers
Inauguration of three cooperation centers and a cooperation platform on smooth trade within the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism. They include the China-Central Asia poverty reduction cooperation center, the China-Central Asia education exchange cooperation center, the China-Central Asia desertification control cooperation center, as well as the China-Central Asia smooth trade cooperation platform.
Belt & Road Cooperation
Xi called on China and Central Asian countries to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. On the sidelines of the summit, Xi also held separate bilateral meetings with the leaders of the five Central Asian countries, with a focus on the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Over the past decade, the BRI has grown from an aspiring vision into a high-quality platform for cooperation, encompassing daily logistics, trade and infrastructure development across the Eurasian continent.
Shared Security
The six countries issued the Astana Declaration as an outcome of the summit. They agreed to jointly combat terrorism, separatism and extremism and strongly condemn all forms of the three forces. The countries also pledged to battle threats such as cross-border infiltration of terrorist forces, drug smuggling, transnational organized crime and cyber crime, to ensure smooth and stable progress of cooperation projects and jointly respond to security threats, said the document.
China Central Asia Mechanism
The Central Asia-China cooperation mechanism is a strategic platform aimed at strengthening cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries. Since its launch, it has become an important vehicle for advancing cooperation across multiple fields and deepening political, economic and cultural ties between Central Asian nations and China.
Major Projects
China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway: A flagship project with an estimated cost of $8 billion, construction is set to commence in July 2025, with completion targeted for 2030. This railway will enhance connectivity across Central Asia, aligning with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Pumped Storage Power Plant in Almaty Region, Kazakhstan: An agreement between Samruk Energy and China International Water & Electric Corporation (CIWEC) to construct a facility to balance renewable energy output, critical for sustainable energy development.
Coal Gasification Plant: Signed between QazaqGaz and Shandong Energy Group, this plant will produce 2 billion cubic meters of gas annually, creating 1,500 permanent jobs and boosting technological and export capacity.
Agricultural Initiatives: Agreements include a deep corn processing plant in Zhambyl Region and a high-tech wheat processing facility in Akmola Region, Kazakhstan, with construction already underway for the latter.
Green Hydrogen Production: A collaboration between Kazakhstan and Chinese company Seraphim to advance sustainable energy solutions.
Financial and Technical Support
Financial Pledge: China committed 1.5 billion yuan (approximately $209 million) for livelihood and development projects across Central Asia, aimed at supporting economic and social initiatives.
Training Opportunities: China will provide 3,000 training opportunities for Central Asian countries over the next two years, fostering capacity building in various sectors .
Trade Achievements
Since the first summit in 2023, trade between China and Central Asia has grown significantly, reaching $94.82 billion in 2024, with Kazakhstan alone accounting for $43.82 billion, a record high.
Key initiatives include:
1-Support for modernizing national defense, law enforcement, and security capacities in Central Asian countries.
2- Launch of additional Safe City projects and joint exercises to strengthen regional security.
3- A specific focus on Afghanistan, aiming to promote peace, stability, and reconstruction in the region Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Geopolitical Context
The summit occurred amid shifting global power alignments and regional tensions, particularly in neighboring Iran. It represents the first summit in the region with a foreign leader, symbolizing deepened ties between China and Central Asia.
The summit’s outcomes suggest China’s intent to foster regional stability and economic modernization, potentially reshaping Eurasian geopolitics.
Key Agreements
1- China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, Construction starts July 2025, completion by 2030 with $8 billion, enhances regional connectivity
2- Pumped Storage Power Plant, Samruk Energy, CIWEC, Balances renewable energy output in Almaty Region, Supports sustainable energy
3- Coal Gasification Plant, QazaqGaz, Shandong Energy Group,Produces 2 billion cubic meters of gas annually, creates 1,500 jobs, Boosts technological and export capacity
4- Green Technology Access,IGTIPC, SSTEC,Access to China’s Green Technology Bank, supports 20 green projects,Promotes renewable energy and sustainability
5- Green Hydrogen Production, Kazakhstan, Seraphim, Advances sustainable energy solutions,Enhances energy diversification
6- Deep Corn Processing Plant,Kazakhstan, Chinese partners,Large-scale agricultural initiative in Zhambyl Region, Strengthens food security
7- High-Tech Wheat Processing Facility Kazakhstan, Chinese partners,Construction began in June 2025 in Akmola Region,Enhances agricultural modernization
