General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping gave the above speech at the 2nd China - Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on June 17, 2025. General Secretary and President Xi Jinping said that China has decided to establish three cooperation centers and a platform to facilitate trade in the China - Central Asia cooperation mechanism, including the China - China poverty reduction cooperation center; the China - China Asian educational exchange cooperation center; the China - China - China Asia desertification Control Cooperation Center, as well as a cooperation platform to facilitate China - China trade.
On the same day, June 17, General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and leaders of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) signed a treaty on neighborhood, friendship and long-term friendly cooperation.
Commenting on the success of the conference, Mr. Duong Thanh - Director of the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Regional Research - emphasized: "The spirit of China - Central Asia" in the speech of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and said that this spirit will play an important role in building a community of sharing the future of China - Central Asia, while providing valuable experiences that can be replicated and applied on a global scale.
Referring to the "Shanghai spirit" appearing in the development process of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and continuing to orient the SCO, Mr. Duong Thanh believes that: "The spirit of China - Central Asia" is not only meaningful in promoting substantive cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, but also opens a way for countries with different political institutions, economic scale, resources and socio-cultural groups to achieve long-term, mutually beneficial neighborliness.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jia Kong said the conference opened up new space for Ring Road and Road (BRI) cooperation and built a community of sharing the future of China - Central Asia closer.
Ring Road and Road cooperation has promoted trade, tourism and exchange efficiency in the region. In 2024, China's trade with Central Asia will reach a record of 94.8 billion USD, partly thanks to the explosion of the cross-border e-commerce sector. China is currently a leading trade partner and a major investment source in Central Asia.
Tajikistan was the first country to sign a memorandum of understanding with China on the Silk Road Economic Ring Road in 2014. Since then, the cooperation between the two sides has brought specific results, from expressways and new power plants to iconic projects in cities - many of these projects were personally promoted by General Secretary and President Xi Jinping.
In the 2 years since the first China - Central Asia Summit (2023), relations between China and Central Asian countries have progressed rapidly in the fields of technology, trade and cultural exchange, reaching a new level of determination - Mr. Rashid Yusupov of the Center for Ring Road and Road Research of Kyrgyzstan State University commented.
"For Kyrgyzstan, China-Kyrigstan relations have made breakthroughs, with the China-Kyrigstan-Uzbistan railway line making progress after nearly 30 years," the scholar said, noting that the summit could " promote comprehensive cooperation, deepen bilateral relations".
