The second China-Central Asia Summit was held on Tuesday afternoon in Astana, Kazakhstan. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony, profoundly noting that through years of cooperation, China and Central Asian countries have explored and formed the China-Central Asia Spirit, which features mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit, mutual assistance, and the pursuit of common modernization through high-quality development. In a cordial atmosphere, the heads of state reviewed the achievements in China-Central Asia cooperation across various fields since the Xi’an Summit and looked ahead to future development. They unanimously agreed to promote the “China-Central Asia Spirit,” uphold everlasting good-neighborly relations, and work together to achieve new successes in building the China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
“During our meeting in Xi’an two years ago, we jointly outlined the Xi’an Vision for China-Central Asia cooperation. The six pomegranate trees we planted together are in full bloom today, auguring the vitality of the cooperation among the six nations.” With this vivid metaphor of trees, President Xi illustrated the growth of the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism – from taking root in Xi’an to flourishing in Astana. During the summit, President Xi and leaders of the five Central Asian countries signed the Astana Declaration of the second China-Central Asia Summit as well as a treaty on eternal good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.
A total of 12 cooperation documents and several sister-city agreements were signed. 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 trade facilitation cooperation platform were officially inaugurated. Like trees in full bloom, these fruitful outcomes depict a splendid picture of mutual benefit, harmony, and shared growth. The articulation of the “China-Central Asia Spirit” serves as a profound summary of why China-Central Asia cooperation continues to thrive and bear abundant fruit.
China’s cooperation with Central Asian countries has consistently followed the principle of mutual respect and mutual trust. From the early days of diplomatic relations, when China was among the first to recognize the independence of Central Asian countries and peacefully resolved border issues, to recent years, the six countries have worked in close coordination within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. Together, they have staunchly upheld multilateralism and firmly opposed decoupling, supply chain disruption, and bloc confrontation.
China and Central Asian countries have always adhered to mutual respect and equality in their cooperation. They treat each other as equals, regardless of size. All matters are discussed collectively, and decisions are made through consensus. Both sides continue to deepen mutual trust and share common aspirations, resolutely supporting each other in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity, and refraining from doing anything that would harm one another’s core interests. This model of cooperation, based on equal dialogue and openness and inclusiveness, sends a powerful message to the world: Unity over division, connectivity over isolation, and win-win cooperation over zero-sum rivalry are the right paths for tackling global challenges.
The relationship between China and Central Asian countries advances through mutual benefit and mutual assistance.
In recent years, China and Central Asian countries have accelerated the alignment of development strategies and steadily advanced high-quality Belt and Road Initiative cooperation. In Kazakhstan’s Aktau Port, Chinese and Kazakh builders worked side by side to set up a 400-ton China-made gantry crane on the shores of the Caspian Sea, creating a new logistics hub linking Asia and Europe. In Uzbekistan, the Datang Buka solar PV project completed construction of all sub-arrays, supplying 540 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually and supporting the country’s green energy transition. In Kyrgyzstan, the Luban Workshop has produced hundreds of thousands of words of experimental training materials co-authored by Chinese and Kyrgyz experts, opening doors of opportunity for young people in Central Asia. In Tajikistan, the establishment of a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Center has made TCM consultations a new option for local patients.
Amid global turbulence and transformation, China and Central Asian countries stand by each other and navigate challenges together. They support each other’s efforts to follow development paths suited to their national conditions, focus on domestic priorities, and jointly address various risks and challenges.
China and Central Asian countries are advancing common modernization through high-quality development. China and the Central Asian countries are all at a critical stage of development and revitalization, with increasingly in-depth exchanges of governance and statecraft experiences. China supports Central Asian countries in enhancing their capacity for independent development by sharing experiences in areas such as the digital economy, industrialization, and innovative development. In turn, Central Asia, with its rich energy reserves and strategic geographic advantages, expands the strategic space for China’s high-quality economic development. This kind of “mutual support and mutual assistance” interaction transcends traditional patterns of state-to-state relations and embodies the true essence of a community with a shared future. At this summit, President Xi announced the designation of 2025 and 2026 as the “Years of High-Quality Development of China-Central Asia Cooperation.” The determination of China and Central Asian countries to support each other’s development and revitalization through mutually beneficial cooperation will become even more resolute in the future, and the path ahead will continue to broaden.
This summit has taken place against the background of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. While certain countries are promoting a “small yard, high fence” approach, China and the Central Asian countries are using Astana as a stage to send a clear message to the world: Only by adhering to universal security can we stay away from conflict; only by pursuing common development can we resolve imbalances; and only by promoting mutual learning among civilizations can we transcend barriers.
From the camel bells and boats of the ancient Silk Road to the steel caravans in the heart of Eurasia today, China and the Central Asian countries have always created opportunities through connectivity and have taken responsibility through practical actions. We believe that, with careful nurturing from both sides, the pomegranate tree of China-Central Asia cooperation will surely grow into a towering tree of peaceful development and win-win cooperation in the soil of mutual trust. GT
