As already noted, the Summit of Heads of State of Central Asia and China is of epochal importance in developing relations between China and the states of Central Asia.

This is the first major diplomatic event in which China is hosting, as well as the first face-to-face summit held by the heads of six states since establishing diplomatic relations 31 years ago.

This event is an essential milestone in the history of the development of relations between China and the states of Central Asia.

At present, the countries of Central Asia and China maintain a high level of political mutual trust and actively cooperate within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Belt and Road Initiative. This strategic cooperation is based on mutual respect, benefit, and interdependence.

The countries of Central Asia and China cooperate closely in various areas, including transport, industry, agriculture, energy, and emerging industries. They plan and coordinate the joint construction of infrastructure projects such as railways, highways, energy facilities, and other facilities contributing to the region’s development.

This cooperation contributes to the deepening of economic integration and the exchange of experience between China and the countries of Central Asia. It also creates favorable conditions for developing trade and economic relations, investment, technological cooperation, and exchanging achievements.

China and the countries of Central Asia strive for sustainable development, common prosperity, and mutual benefit. This cooperation is essential for both regions and strengthens international cooperation and stability in the Central Asian region.

During the summit, the Heads of State of 6 states considered the development of relations between the countries of Central Asia and China. They exchanged views on creating a Central Asia – China cooperation mechanism in various fields and significant international and regional issues of mutual interest.

China and the countries of Central Asia are friendly neighbors and all-round strategic partners, which always adhere to the principles of mutual respect, good neighborliness, friendship, mutual assistance, and mutually beneficial cooperation in the development of bilateral relations.

Through the joint efforts of all parties, this summit will outline an action plan of cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and China, which will usher in a new era of comprehensive strategic partnership.

A significant increase in economic cooperation will be a promising direction of the “Central Asia – China” format, within which the countries of Central Asia will strengthen and expand their economic ties with China and create new transport and trade corridors.

Over the past 30 years, the volume of trade between China and the countries of Central Asia increased by more than 100 times.

At the end of 2022, China increased trade with the countries of Central Asia to $70.2 billion.

China is one of the key sources of direct investment in the economies of Central Asia, over the past 20 years, the total volume of which has approached $40 billion.

For the countries of Central Asia, Chinese capital, coupled with new technologies and the best solutions in agriculture and water management, industry, engineering, transport, and other sectors of the economy, is of particular importance.

Over the past 31 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, interpersonal and cultural exchanges and cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and China have been steadily developing, showing a trend of flourishing in many areas and all-round development. To enhance cultural and humanitarian cooperation, the meeting participants discussed the issues of increasing the flow of tourists from China to the countries of Central Asia in connection with the removal of restrictions on the travel of Chinese citizens abroad, as well as the easing of conditions for entry into Uzbekistan and other states of the region.

It is also important to note the online summit of the Heads of State of Central Asia and China in January last year, where a special place in the joint statement was given to cooperation in security.

The parties reaffirmed their desire to comprehensively deepen cooperation to ensure the region's peace, stability, and security. They agreed to make efforts in the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism in all manifestations, drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, and threats to information security.

To ensure information security, the parties will support the creation of a peaceful, open, secure, collaborative, and orderly cyberspace, including under China's Global Data Security Initiative, to counter all forms of cybercrime. China supports the Central Asian states in strengthening cyber capabilities.

At the same time, the statement touched upon the issues of the Afghan problem. The parties believe that one of the essential factors in ensuring regional security and stability is the speedy settlement of the situation in neighboring Afghanistan.

In this matter, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev's initiative to create an International Logistics Hub to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and other countries is promising.

Guided by the principles of openness, mutual trust, and support, Tashkent and Beijing play an essential role in security and sustainable development in Central Asia, which is the core of the SCO.

The importance of the historic Samarkand SCO Summit in September last year, which became the most significant political event in the organization’s entire history, was noted by member states. At the same time, it is essential to emphasize that at the SCO summit, the member states welcomed the “Samarkand initiative of solidarity for the sake of common security and prosperity” the President of Uzbekistan put forward.

As the Head of our state noted, the initiative’s goal is to involve in a global dialogue all those who care about our common future, who are ready, despite disagreements, to seek agreed approaches and solutions, and who share the principles of the Samarkand Spirit.

Strengthening mutually beneficial relations with foreign countries underlies the foreign policy of Uzbekistan pursued under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. As a result, over the past six years, a positive image of our country and the region of Central Asia in the international arena has been established.

Uzbekistan has become a direct participant in the processes related to solving global problems. Strengthened ties with the closest neighbors in the region can be considered an individual achievement.

Thanks to the Head of Uzbekistan's new and open foreign policy, the Central Asian region began to change rapidly, gaining stability, unity, and international subjectivity.

Today we can say with confidence that thanks to the efforts of Uzbekistan to resolve border issues with its neighbors, it has already made it possible to achieve greater cooperation between the Central Asian countries.

Uzbekistan has established strategic partnership relations with neighboring countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, and with a number of them, they have been raised to the level of alliance.

The region is gradually transforming into a zone of sustainable economic growth. According to the EBRD forecast, in 2023 and 2024, the volume of GDP of the countries of Central Asia will grow on average by 4.9% and 5.4%, respectively. This is the highest rate in the regions where the bank is present.

Along with the increase in the size of the economies, the foreign trade of the countries of Central Asia is also growing. This indicator has only doubled over the past six years, amounting to $200 billion in 2022.

At the same time, the region is becoming an interconnected market, attracting more and more investors. Over the past five years, mutual trade between the Central Asian states has doubled. The inflow of foreign direct investment into the region increased by 45%, reaching $40 billion in 2022.

According to experts, these trends indicate the growth of the region's stability, since, as trade and economic interdependence grow, the readiness of states to negotiate and resolve all issues through negotiations to maintain sustainable development also increases.

Clear evidence of this is the increase in Central Asia Plus formats, which has grown from 4 to 10 dialogue platforms since 2017. This indicates the recognition of the high level of consolidation of the Central Asian states.

In turn, it is essential to indicate that Uzbekistan is an important participant in the CA + PRC format and plays a significant role in the economic and geopolitical development of the region.

The economic role of Uzbekistan lies in its potential as a transport and trade hub in Central Asia. Uzbekistan has a strategic geographical position and is a crossroads for various transport corridors linking Central Asia with China and other regions.

In this context, the project of Uzbekistan – Kyrgyzstan – China railway communication launched at the Samarkand SCO Summit, which will shorten the route from China to Europe by 900 kilometers and reduce the duration of transportation by eight days, is of historical importance.

A feasibility study of the project for constructing this railway is at the final stage. According to available information, the cost of the project varies from 3 to 5 billion dollars, and the length of the tracks is about 450 km, of which 280 km will run through the territory of Kyrgyzstan. The project also includes the construction of tunnels (with a total length of 57 km) and bases for replacing wheelsets (they are necessary due to the difference in track gauge).

Uzbekistan also supports the connectivity of Central and South Asia regions, including through the construction of the Termez – Mazar-i-Sharif – Kabul – Peshawar railway.

This route will not only expand the logistics capabilities of the Belt and Road, but will also contribute to the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan and the expansion of trade and economic ties in the North-South direction.

At the same time, it is essential to highlight that at the online summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asian countries and China, held on January 25, 2022, the President of Uzbekistan proposed to develop the Strategy for the New Economic Dialogue “CA – China”, designed to ensure unhindered trade and the formation of a common space of industrial cooperation and localization.

Promising here is the conjugation of the “Development Strategy for New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026” with the Belt and Road Initiative.

Global turmoil will continue in 2023, and in the face of these challenges, optimizing the development trajectory and deepening key areas, regions, and projects will be essential tasks for successful cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Over the past ten years, China's economy has grown by an average of 6.6% per year and is among the largest economies in the world. The average rate of China's contribution to world economic growth reached 38.6%, exceeding the sum of the contribution rates of the G7 countries. According to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute, by 2040, the integration of the economies of China and other countries is expected to create an economic value of 22 trillion to 37 trillion US dollars. This is equivalent to 15-26% of the global monetary aggregate. The qualitative development of China will lead more than 1.4 billion people to shared prosperity and provide more markets and development opportunities for countries around the world, including Central Asia.

One of the key aspects of the further development of the economies of the Central Asian countries will be the development of the “Digital Silk Road”, that is, the widespread use of China's achievements in the field of new-generation technologies to create a digital cooperation platform.

Today, the development of digital technologies is considered an important area for the sustainable growth of the country's economy in Uzbekistan. Similar approaches apply in the countries of the region.

According to the most authoritative experts, China is entering a period of rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, the industrial Internet, nanotechnologies, and quantum computing.

In this regard, China’s experience using such technologies greatly interests Central Asia.

Notably, more than 1,500 projects are being implemented in this area, covering more than 20 key sectors of the PRC economy.

At the same time, it is essential to highlight that China is participating in digital infrastructure projects in about 80 countries today.

China has invested $79 billion in Digital Silk Road projects worldwide.

The overall economic effect of introducing artificial intelligence technologies can be up to 35% of economic growth up to 2035.

Experts note that Central Asia, as a developing region, has an essential advantage in developing the IT market – a rapidly growing population, represented mainly by young people – the most active consumers of digital services.

According to the calculations of the German business platform Statista, the num by 2028 will increase by 20% and amount to 63 million people. (2022 - 53 million Internet users), and the penetration rate will increase from 70 to 75%, which will give a powerful impetus to the growth of the ICT sector in Central Asia.

In this regard, it seems essential to intensify interaction on the creation of a joint platform of the “Intellectual Silk Road” and “Digital Silk Road” based on the IT parks of China and the states of Central Asia in the field of high technologies, such as the digital economy and trade, artificial intelligence, big data, e-government, and blockchain technologies.

At the same time, it will be beneficial to hold a joint international conference on “Artificial Intelligence: an innovative direction for promising cooperation between Central Asia and China” and a joint exhibition of IT products within the framework of the “Central Asia + China” format. We are ready to organize it on the IT Park of Uzbekistan platform.

Additionally, it is essential to highlight that, according to analysts, the share of electric vehicles in the total volume of new cars sold worldwide will increase to 33% by 2028 and 54% by 2035.

In this case, China will become a key market. Most of the electric vehicles imported into Uzbekistan in the first three months of this year - 1,627 out of 1,668 cars – came from China.

Promising in this direction is the acceleration of the construction in our country of a joint venture for producing and selling electric vehicles on new energy sources, “BYD Uzbekistan Factory”.

At the same time, it is essential that it became the first joint production site of a Chinese automaker outside of China.

Thus, the upcoming summit of the Heads of State of Central Asia and China will be an essential event for the further development of multifaceted cooperation between China and the states of Central Asia. This summit will allow leaders to discuss cooperation in various areas and make critical decisions to strengthen partnerships.

Active cooperation in China – Central Asia format will contribute to implementing the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping. These initiatives strengthen international cooperation, sustainable development, justice, and security.

Cooperation between China and the states of Central Asia will also contribute to building a fairer and more appropriate global governance. Together, these countries will be able to discuss issues of international importance and work to find balanced solutions that promote peaceful and sustainable development.

In general, the summit of the Heads of State of Central Asia and China will be an important event that contributes to strengthening cooperation and developing common prosperity in the region and beyond.

Vladimir Norov,

Director of the International Institute for Central Asia,

Former Secretary General of the SCO (2019-2021)