So far, the PRC and the countries of Central Asia have interacted either in a bilateral format or on multilateral platforms, for example within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The new profile of the cooperation mechanism will be unique in that “the Central Asian region acts there as one, without division into five states”, explained Nurchev.
Observers note that the foundations for the creation of a new mechanism exist and are quite solid. In the 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the countries of Central Asia, the volume of their trade has increased almost 100 times – to reach 70.2 billion dollars in 2022. In the At the same time, the potential for further development is far from exhausted: last year alone, China increased its imports of agricultural products and minerals from Central Asia by more than 50%, while exports of Chinese electrical products to the region increased by 42%. percent. The volume of Chinese investment disbursed in Central Asian countries has reached 15 billion dollars. Five countries in the region have become key players in China’s “One Belt, One Road” integration initiative, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year (it is significant that for the first time this initiative was announced by President of the PRC in Central Asia: in Kazakhstan in September 2013).
Summing up the results of the past three decades, the foreign ministers of the PRC and the five Central Asian republics at the pre-summit meeting said that the next 30 years will be “golden” in the development of relations in the China format. +5. . There is room for development. The Chinese press writes that the upcoming summit will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, low-carbon development and the humanitarian sphere. It is already clear that Beijing is ready to finance the development of this interaction in various formats. For example, last year China already announced a $500 million grant for social development projects in Central Asia. It is highly likely that new financial initiatives will be announced at the next summit.
The ambassadors of the countries of the region to the PRC unanimously confirmed that Central Asia is interested in attracting Chinese investment, locating Chinese production in its territory and developing its transit potential within the framework of the One initiative. Belt, One Road (in particular, tell us about the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, the Trans-Caspian route to Turkey and further to Europe, the development of railway capacity in Kazakhstan, and much more).
Everyone, including the United States, was optimistic about the creation of a new China + 5 interaction mechanism
Another topic is the development of “green energy” in Central Asia with the help of China. We already have experience. For example, PowerChina built Zhanatas, the largest wind farm in Central Asia, in Kazakhstan. It produces 350 million kWh of electricity per year, powering millions of homes and many businesses in the south of the country. Of course, Central Asia wants to increase the supply of agricultural products, minerals and other goods to the PRC. “China is a large consumer market, worth more than a trillion dollars, and our entrepreneurs also want to be integrated into these supply chains of our products to the Chinese market,” summed up the Ambassador of Kazakhstan in China.
Everyone, including, surprisingly, the United States, was optimistic about the creation of a new China + 5 interaction mechanism. On the eve of the Xi’an summit, cheerful publications appeared in the press that the new format of cooperation aims to oust Russia from the Central Asian region. Washington is interested. It is telling that last year the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced its intention to “detach” Central Asia from Russia. Now, in the United States, they hope that it can be done in the hands of the PRC.
Beijing refutes such fabrications by American politicians. “It’s nothing but malicious information stuffing. Central Asian countries are sovereign states and have the right to cooperate with whomever they want,” said Yang Jin, a researcher at the Institute. of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the Academy of Sciences. Social Sciences of the People’s Republic of China. “China and Russia have common interests in Central Asia. It is their cooperation that maintains stability and development in the region,” echoed Li Yongquan, a representative of the Council’s Center for Development Studies. of State of the People’s Republic of China.
This approach is also enshrined in Russian-Chinese agreements at the highest level. Thus, in a joint statement following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia in March, it was stressed: “The parties are ready to strengthen mutual coordination to help Central Asian countries ensure their sovereignty and their national development, do not accept attempts to import “color revolutions” and external interference in the affairs of the region”. Thus, Washington received a clear message: Central Asia is a region of cooperation, not of showdown.
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