中文
By Nikola Mikovic
Lead: As global challenges intensify, China and Central Asian nations are widening cooperation in infrastructure, energy and trade, driving mutual prosperity and advancing the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Amid growing global instability, Central Asian nations continue to pursue their well-known "multi-vector" foreign policies. Balancing between Russia, China, and the West, these states aim to diversify their economic partnerships, secure investment and develop infrastructure from multiple directions.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan view Beijing as an important economic partner for achieving their strategic goals. Indeed, China has poured over $30 billion into Central Asia in recent years, making it a major source of investment for the region.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan from Nov. 19 to 22 offers another opportunity for Beijing and Central Asian states to strengthen bilateral ties.
Over the years, China has helped build roads, railways and energy infrastructure throughout the region. In Tajikistan, the China Road and Bridge Corporation built the Dushanbe-Chanak Highway – a key route linking the capital Dushanbe to the northern border with Uzbekistan. The world's second-largest economy is also involved in the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, which is expected to become one of the core routes of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to top Chinese officials, this project will create a new land corridor connecting Asia and Europe and boost regional prosperity.
In Kazakhstan — the region's largest nation — China's National Nuclear Corporation is leading a consortium to build nuclear power plants, deepening its role in the former Soviet republic's energy sector. Neighboring Turkmenistan recently signed several cooperation deals with China, with President Serdar Berdimuhamedov meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss a strategic economic partnership in the gas, transport and logistics sectors.
Beijing is, therefore, positioning itself as a key partner for cooperation in this strategic region. At the second China-Central Asia Summit held in June in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, Xi stressed the importance of safeguarding independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity.
"China and Central Asian countries should act on the China-Central Asia Spirit, enhance cooperation with renewed vigor and more practical measures, promote high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and forge ahead toward the goal of a community with a shared future for the region," Xi emphasized.
The BRI remains a cornerstone of China's approach toward Central Asia, with China building significant logistics, transportation and energy infrastructure. However, the country is also involved in other regional initiatives. Renewable energy plays a crucial role in these efforts, with China supporting the development of solar, wind and hydropower projects to meet Central Asia's growing energy needs and promote sustainable growth.
Over the past five years, China has invested more than $3 billion in Kazakhstan's renewable energy infrastructure, while neighboring Kyrgyzstan also relies on Beijing's support in its ambitions to reduce fossil fuel dependence. Last month, Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Energy signed an investment agreement with two Chinese companies for the construction of a 250-megawatt solar power plant. In April, Kyrgyzstan's National Investment Agency and Chinese company CECEP Solar Energy reached a deal on the construction of a 600-megawatt solar power plant in Batken.
China is, therefore, playing a pivotal role in helping the regional actors develop their green energy infrastructure, which could enable them to eventually become major producers of green electricity. This trajectory also aligns with the European Union's ambitions to purchase green electricity from Central Asia and the South Caucasus through newly planned transmission cable projects.
Of note, the EU is interested in developing the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor (also known as the Middle Corridor), which would link China and Europe via Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Türkiye, using a mixture of railways, shipping lines and trucking routes. The fact that, back in 2023, China and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transportation Route clearly suggests that Beijing, with its extensive experience in large-scale infrastructure development and cross-border logistics, can play a significant role in the modernization of the Middle Corridor.
China is also deepening political and security cooperation with Central Asian governments, particularly via the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). By strengthening dialogue mechanisms, investment platforms, and long-term strategic planning mechanisms, Beijing likely seeks to cement its role as an essential diplomatic and economic actor in Central Asia's evolving multipolar landscape.
Regional actors, on the other hand, aim to preserve strategic autonomy and avoid overdependence on any single external stakeholder. Such an approach aligns with China's principles of mutual respect and non-interference, allowing Beijing to remain a reliable partner for Central Asia's stability and development.
However, a recent White House meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Central Asian leaders suggests that Washington, aiming to increase its presence in the strategically vital region, may eventually begin pressuring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to scale back their cooperation with China. On Nov. 17, he openly threatened countries maintaining trade ties with Russia with "severe sanctions." Given his unpredictable foreign policy, Beijing can hardly be certain that he will not adopt a similar stance when it comes to China.
Thus, although Central Asian nations now view China as their primary trade partner, shifting geopolitics may eventually impact on their policy choices. The region's strategic location and resource potential will almost certainly continue to attract competing interests. But how Central Asian states navigate these pressures — balancing economic ambitions, energy transition and geopolitical ties — will shape their future.
One thing is clear: China's experience and investment capacity position it to play a decisive role in the region's future.
Nikola Mikovic is a Serbia-based freelance journalist and political analyst.
