National flags of China and the five Central Asian countries fly in front of the Palace of Independence in Astana, Kazakhstan on June 15, 2025. Photo: Hu Yuwei/GT

Editor's Note:

The second China-Central Asia Summit is being held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. How will this summit build on the achievements and mission of the first summit, which was held two years ago in China? What does China-Central Asia interaction demonstrate to the world amid complicated international and regional circumstances? Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen interviewed Navjuvonov Abdullo Shanbievich (Navjuvonov), former head of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Sughd region of the Republic of Tajikistan, to discuss these issues.

GT: What is the significance of holding the China-Central Asia Summit on a regular basis? 

Navjuvonov: The summit is essential for both sides and for each country, as the interests of all our nations need to be protected and promoted. China is one of the largest players in global geopolitics, with an incredibly developing economy, industrial sector, and artificial intelligence technology. In bilateral formats, China offers its neighbors favorable conditions for cooperation and helps develop infrastructure, especially now that there is an opportunity to reach more global agreements for the region. The modern world is changing quickly, and in order to keep up with global changes, it is necessary to maintain constant contact and regularly hold such summits, where issues of today and the near future can be addressed. 

GT: How does this summit demonstrate Central Asia's growing importance to China's neighborhood diplomacy amid complicated international and regional circumstances?

Navjuvonov: The strategic importance of Central Asia for the stability and security in western China, especially in the Xinjiang region, is difficult to overestimate. I think no one doubts China's ability to ensure security, especially with the advent of new technologies. However, cross-border terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking remain problems that cannot be eradicated alone. All countries in the region need maximum efficiency and openness in practice, without bureaucracy or tug-of-war. In this difficult struggle, it is necessary to act as decisively as possible.

China is strengthening the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor) through Kazakhstan, the Caspian region, the Caucasus, Turkey and Europe, as well as railways through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The summit is not just a meeting, but a reboot of logistics and trade bypassing unstable regions.

The China-Central Asia summit is a foreign policy signal, especially against the backdrop of the G7, NATO and QUAD, indicating that China can build strategic partnerships without pressure, with an emphasis on development and mutual benefit. The Astana summit shows that Central Asia has become a full-fledged partner for China. It is not a "backwater" of Eurasian politics, but a key node in the new multipolar architecture that China is trying to build.

GT: Around the same time, leaders from G7 countries are gathering in Canada to hold a summit. The G7 speaks the language of outdated Cold War mentality while China and Central Asian countries endeavor to promote cooperation and inclusiveness. What makes China and Central Asian countries stick to cooperation in a turbulent world?

Navjuvonov: Economic interdependence and pragmatism play their role; neither China nor the Central Asian countries are interested in isolation or confrontation - their economic growth depends on trade, investment and stability.

Instead of choosing sides, these countries opt for a pragmatic path of mutual benefit and cooperation. Many Central Asian countries have not experienced tangible benefits from long-term cooperation with the G7, the US or the EU, where there has been relatively little investment, many conditions imposed and strong pressure on domestic policy.

China offers partnerships with "no conditions, no interference, but with money and infrastructure." Therefore, the idea of "inclusiveness" in the Chinese style appears more attractive than the Western approach of "democratization under pressure." The G7 is increasingly shaping its foreign agenda through confrontation, aiming to contain China, Russia and other major players who do not adhere to their rules by imposing sanctions, restrictions on technology and other forms of pressure.

China and Central Asia advocate a model without ideological blocs, without subordination to "ours" or "others" and with an emphasis on development rather than competition. Central Asian countries desire multilateral development rather than being drawn into someone else's struggle. China seeks to show that it is building a platform for cooperation, not a system of exclusion. Central Asia, as a vulnerable region, willingly takes part in such concepts, where there is a place for every country, regardless of its size or political orientation. 

China and Central Asia are united by pragmatism, a desire for stability and a common rejection of a world divided into "blocs and fronts." In the face of global turbulence, they are not betting on a struggle for dominance, but on mutual development and autonomous policies.

GT: In your opinion, what could be the highlight of this summit? How will this cooperation bring China and Central Asia closer? 

Navjuvonov: A number of agreements are expected to be signed during the summit covering education, culture, trade, infrastructure, investment, customs cooperation, as well as energy and security.

In the context of increasing geopolitical pressure and bloc logic, China and the Central Asian countries demonstrate a desire to build a world based on pragmatism, inclusiveness and mutual benefit. This rapprochement is based on economic pragmatism (real development instead of political dependence), trust (China does not demand political concessions), regional stability (Central Asian countries are interested in a peaceful neighborhood with China) and an alternative to the Western agenda (cooperation without sanctions and ideological pressure).

The China-Central Asia Summit in Astana will be a key milestone in the formation of a new model of Eurasian interaction based on a balance of interests, mutual benefit and rejection of the logic of confrontation. 

GT: The commencement ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway was held at the end of last year. How will it boost connectivity between China and Central Asia?

Navjuvonov: The CKU railway is not just an infrastructure project. It is a geostrategic shift with implications on several levels: regional, economic and political. For Kyrgyzstan, the CKU is a transition from geographic isolation to full-fledged transit status. For Uzbekistan, the CKU is an opportunity to strengthen its role as a logistics hub in the region. 

As for Tajikistan, despite the fact that the route does not pass directly through its territory, the republic can derive significant indirect benefits. This includes participation in auxiliary logistics and customs chains, and the ability to connect to the new network through internal branches, and increased diplomatic weight in regional initiatives.

The project promotes closer integration of Central Asia into the global economy. This road is not just rails. It is a step toward a new Eurasian order, where Central Asia becomes a subject, not an object of geopolitics and global logistics.