BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday signed a landmark treaty aimed at strengthening ties with Central Asian nations, as Beijing intensifies efforts to expand its influence in the strategically vital and resource-rich region.

At a regional summit held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, President Xi and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan signed a treaty of “permanent good-neighbourliness and friendly cooperation,” according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

The treaty marks a significant diplomatic milestone as China seeks to boost cooperation on trade, energy, and infrastructure with the five Central Asian republics—countries that have historically fallen within Russia’s sphere of influence.

Geopolitical Shift and Strategic Engagement

The summit in Astana was the second of its kind, following an inaugural gathering held in northwest China in 2023. Notably, both summits were timed alongside meetings of G7 leaders, signaling China’s growing ambition to assert itself as a central player on the world stage.

“At present, the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, entering a new period of turbulence and transformation,” Xi said at the summit, according to Xinhua.

In a veiled reference to the United States, Xi criticized what he called “trade wars and tariff wars,” adding that “unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonism are bound to harm both others and oneself.”

He stressed China’s readiness to work with Central Asian partners to “safeguard international justice, oppose hegemonism and power politics.”

Economic Cooperation and Aid

During the summit, President Xi pledged 1.5 billion yuan ($208.86 million) in grant assistance to Central Asian countries for livelihood and development projects in 2025.

Xi also called for enhanced cooperation in trade, mineral extraction, and agriculture, reflecting Beijing’s aim to deepen its economic footprint in the region.

According to Xinhua, China’s two-way trade with the five Central Asian nations reached 286.42 billion yuan in the first five months of this year—a 10.4% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Among these nations, Turkmenistan remains the only country to enjoy a trade surplus with China, due in large part to its natural gas exports. Conversely, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan face significant trade deficits, reportedly in the tens of billions.

Energy and Infrastructure Links

In bilateral meetings during the summit, Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of cooperation in natural gas, mineral development, international railway connectivity, and law enforcement.

He urged progress on the long-discussed China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, a key overland route that bypasses Russia. Initially proposed in the 1990s, the project has gained renewed urgency as sanctions on Moscow have led shippers between China and Europe to seek alternatives to the Russian corridor.

A Strategic Buffer

The five former Soviet republics of Central Asia are increasingly seen as a strategic buffer for China—providing alternative routes for energy and food supplies in the event of global disruptions.

As Russia’s influence wanes due to its entanglement in Ukraine and growing isolation from the West, China is stepping in to fill the vacuum, leveraging economic incentives and infrastructure projects to deepen its presence in the heart of Eurasia.