Amid the vast desert, a lone column of smoke rises, and the sound of camel bells echoes. Looking back into the depths of history, over 2,100 years ago, the westward journey of Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) envoy Zhang Qian opened the door to friendly exchanges between China and Central Asia.

From history to the future, in the autumn of 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited four Central Asian countries and, for the first time, proposed the initiative to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt in Kazakhstan, reawakening ancient memories and sketching the blueprint of a shared dream. The initiative, together with the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Xi proposed the following month in Indonesia, constitutes the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes.

Over the past decade and more, China and Central Asian countries have worked hand in hand to promote the full revival of the Silk Road, dedicating efforts to forge deep, future-oriented cooperation and ushering bilateral relations into a new era.

In the golden light of Astana's summer dusk, Xi attended the Second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, on June 17, along with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In less than 48 hours in Astana from June 16 to 18, Xi attended more than 10 bilateral and multilateral events, during which he renewed traditional friendship, discussed ways of promoting cooperation, and drew the blueprint for development with the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, while briefing reporters on the conclusion of Xi's trip on June 18.

Since the launch of the BRI, Central Asian countries have actively aligned their national development plans and strategies with it, Abdugani Mamadazimov, a scholar at Tajik National University, told Xinhua News Agency.

The initiative has played a central role in advancing cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries. China now stands as Central Asia's top trading partner and major investment source. In 2024, two-way trade reached roughly $95 billion, up $5.4 billion from the previous year.

A China-Central Asia freight train bound for Tashkent, Uzbekistan, departs from a station in Tianjin Port in Tianjin Municipality on May 20 (XINHUA)

A dynamic mechanism

China is offering a lot of opportunities in energy, digital transformation, AI development and education through the BRI, Jessica Neafie, an assistant professor at the Political Science and International Relations Department of Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, told Xinhua.

As Kazakhstan is a landlocked country, Neafie said, the initiative, along with broader trends in globalization, has helped people in the country become more globally connected and outward-looking.

With their closer cooperation under the BRI framework, China also initiated the establishment of the China-Central Asia mechanism in 2020, and in July that same year hosted the First China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting via video link, announcing the establishment of a regular meeting mechanism.

In January 2022, Xi chaired a virtual summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Central Asian countries, during which the parties proposed upgrading the China-Central Asia mechanism to the level of heads of state.

The First China-Central Asia Summit was convened in Xi'an, capital of the northwestern Chinese province of Shaanxi, in May 2023. At the event, the leaders agreed to hold the top-level gathering every two years alternately in China and Central Asian countries.

"Our cooperation is rooted in more than 2,000 years of friendly exchanges, cemented by solidarity and mutual trust cultivated through more than three decades of diplomatic ties, and taken forward via openness and win-win cooperation of the new era," Xi said while addressing the just-concluded summit.

"Building on our collective efforts over the years, we have forged a China-Central Asia Spirit of mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit and mutual assistance for the joint pursuit of modernization through high-quality development," he added.

Today, China has established comprehensive strategic partnerships, signed Belt and Road cooperation documents and implemented the vision of building a community with a shared future at the bilateral level with all five Central Asian countries, Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Han Chunlin said at the 2025 China-Central Asia National Governance Seminar and Cultural Exchange Dialogue in Astana on May 30.

During this year's summit, the six heads of state signed the Astana Declaration and a treaty on eternal good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.

The China-Central Asia mechanism is "young and promising" and highly effective, Sheradil Baktygulov, Director of the Institute of World Policy of Kyrgyzstan, told Xinhua, adding that it has created a new model of multilateral cooperation in the Eurasia region, which helps all parties coordinate their positions and enhance mutual trust on major international flashpoints and reach consensus on issues concerning regional security and development.

"An old saying comes to my mind: 'Those who sow peace reap happiness.' This exactly describes the nature of the new type of cooperation between China and Central Asia," he told newspaper Global Times.

Turkmen dancers perform at the Sixth China Xinjiang International Dance Festival in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on July 31, 2023 (XINHUA)

On April 29, the roar of machinery broke the silence of the mountains in Jalal-Abad Region of Kyrgyzstan—marking the commencement of the project to build three key control tunnels in Kyrgyzstan's section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway.

As an iconic BRI project, this railway carries the shared hopes of the three countries for greater connectivity and common prosperity.

Strengthening regional connectivity can not only promote economic integration, but also deepen exchange and mutual understanding between civilizations, laying a solid foundation for regional stability and development, Zaynidin Kurmanov, Vice President of the Diplomatic Academy of Kyrgyzstan and former Kyrgyz parliament speaker, said.

"The world needs an interconnected Central Asia," Xi said in his keynote speech at the First China-Central Asia Summit. Since then, the two sides have explored further cooperation to enhance infrastructure development for seamless and efficient connectivity.

Children rehearse for a martial arts performance at the Confucius Institute at Tajik National University in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on June 11, 2024 (XINHUA)  

Much progress has been achieved. For example, China Railway Express freight trains—another flagship project under the BRI—are running regularly between China and Central Asian countries. Data from China State Railway Group Co. Ltd., the country's national railway operator, showed that 4,725 trips were made in the first four months of 2025, up 21 percent year on year. 

New rail, road and air logistics routes are delivering Chinese household appliances, consumer goods and electric vehicles to Central Asia, while high-quality Central Asian exports—such as fertilizers, cotton, beef and mutton—are reaching China more efficiently than ever.

Their collaboration has also been expanded into agriculture, IT, clean energy and cross-border e-commerce, driving industrial upgrades and improving livelihoods.

An increasing number of Chinese enterprises have now set up businesses in Central Asian countries, participating in infrastructure construction, energy development, agricultural cooperation and other projects. Their investments not only bring funds and technology to those countries, but also promote local employment and economic growth, achieving a win-win situation for both, Afzal Askarovich Artikov, chief researcher at the Center for Economic Research and Reform under the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan, told Beijing Review.

At the Astana summit, Xi announced that China will provide a grant of 1.5 billion yuan ($209 million) to Central Asian countries this year to help finance livelihood and development projects high on their agenda, adding China will also provide them with 3,000 training opportunities over the next two years.

The summit also saw the signing of 12 cooperation agreements for Belt and Road cooperation, facilitation of personnel exchanges, green mining, trade, connectivity, industry and customs. China also signed multiple sister-city agreements with the five Central Asian countries, bringing the number of pairs of sister cities between the two sides to more than 100.

Long-lasting friendship

On May 30, a tourist train, carrying some 200 riders, completed the first culture-themed trip between Xi'an and Almaty, Kazakhstan—which is among a series of programs aiming to strengthen dialogue between civilizations as promoted by Xi at the First China-Central Asia Summit.

This year is the China Tourism Year in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan's Year of Tourism in China. More tourists now enjoy the convenience provided by visa-free travel agreements between China and Central Asian countries.

Teachers and students operate a numerical control machine tool in a laboratory at the Luban Workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on June 4 (XINHUA)

China and Central Asian countries have also enhanced vocational education cooperation. The Luban Workshop—a program aiming to promote vocational education exchange and cooperation between China and other countries and regions—has been operating in Tajikistan for more than two years. Similar workshops have also been launched in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to cultivate future technical talents and provide opportunities for Central Asian youths.

"We are training engineers under the Luban Workshop program. It's not just about education, but also about cultural exchange," Mirlan Chynybaev, head of Kyrgyz State Technical University that hosts the workshop, told Xinhua.

The six leaders, during the Astana summit, also witnessed the launch of three cooperation centers on poverty reduction, education exchange and desertification control, as well as a cooperation platform on smooth trade under the China-Central Asia cooperation framework.

Leaders of China and Central Asian countries attend the inauguration of the China-Central Asia poverty reduction cooperation center, the China-Central Asia education exchange cooperation center, the China-Central Asia desertification control cooperation center and the China-Central Asia trade facilitation cooperation platform in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 17 (XINHUA) 

Being developing nations, China and the five countries share deep historical ties, solid public support and extensive practical needs in areas such as national governance and other fields of exchange and cooperation, Du Zhanyuan, President of China International Communications Group, said at the May 30 seminar.

Looking ahead, China and Central Asian countries should focus on priorities such as modernization, poverty alleviation and environmental protection, and continue to promote the communication on national governance, Du suggested.

The prospects for cooperation under the China-Central Asia mechanism are looking increasingly promising, Artikov said, adding that besides traditional fields, the six countries will work to enhance partnerships in digital transformation and sustainable development, advancing regional cooperation to higher levels and deeper dimensions.

"Furthermore, they will strengthen coordination and collaboration in international affairs, jointly addressing global challenges and safeguarding regional and global peace and stability," he concluded.

(Print Edition Title: From Xi'an to Astana)

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

Comments to mamm@cicgamericas.com