XIAN: The leaders of Central Asia gathered in the ancient city of Xian, China, on Thursday to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping one-on-one to reaffirm their commitment to “enduring” friendship and pave the way for a summit that is anticipated to produce a regional agreement with Beijing.
The bilateral discussions will lay the groundwork for a group meeting on Friday, the first time the six leaders will meet face to face, where Xi will give a “important” speech and sign a “important” political agreement, according to China’s foreign ministry.
Banners, billboards, and even taxi signs were erected across the Silk Road city of Xian to advertise the summit, some of which were in both Chinese and Russian.
There was also a sizable number of international media covering the event, notably journalists from Africa, where China is likewise attempting to exert and increase its political and economic influence.
The fifth and last leader to arrive was the president of Turkmenistan, the most remote of the Central Asian nations from China and a country rich in energy. He touched down in Xian early on Thursday morning.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, China’s largest trading partner in Central Asia, was the first to touch down. On Wednesday, he and Xi had a face-to-face meeting that resulted in an agreement to forge “enduring friendship” and share “wealth and woe.”
The China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline’s Kazakh segment will operate safely and reliably, the two parties agreed, if certain steps are taken. They also decided to intensify their collaboration in the oil and uranium sectors.
In order to increase its access to food, energy, and national security, China will seek closer ties with other Central Asian nations at the bilateral talks that will follow the example established by Tokayev’s agreement with Xi.
With Kazakhstan leading the way with $31 billion, two-way commerce between China and Central Asia reached a record $70 billion last year. With $15.5 billion, Kyrgyzstan came in second, followed by Turkmenistan ($11.2 billion), Uzbekistan ($9.8 billion), Tajikistan ($2 billion), and Turkmenistan.
A meeting of the Group of Seven leaders, which will begin on Friday in Japan, will be held concurrently with Xi’s summit with the leaders of Central Asia, and it is believed that Beijing’s use of “economic coercion” in its international dealings would be on the agenda.
