From the Silk Road to shared future: The significance of China-Central Asia cooperation
Once upon a time, merchants and caravans carried silk, tea, jade, and spices across deserts and mountains between Chang’an—the capital of China during the Han Dynasty—and the Zhetysu region of Central Asia, marking the first encounter between two great civilizations. Civilizations, CGTN reports.
These early exchanges enabled an impressive flow of goods, architectural styles, and technologies that promoted urban prosperity and shaped lives in China and Central Asia along what we now call the Silk Road.
Centuries later, that spirit of connection and cooperation continues to shine in new and promising ways.
During a state visit to Kazakhstan in 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the Silk Road Economic Belt, a core part of the Belt and Road Initiative. This strategy promotes global connectivity through infrastructure, trade, and investment, creating shared development opportunities. Central Asia, a geopolitical pivot in Eurasia, has since been leading in advancing the initiative.
In 2022, China and five Central Asian countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. In 2023, the first China—Central Asia Summit was held in Xi’an in 2023, which marks a milestone in this collaboration. Now, the second takes place in Astana this June. These high-level dialogues underscore the commitment of all parties to promoting regional peace, development, and connectivity.
China and Central Asian countries have been advancing their cooperation, enjoying practical opportunities and mutual benefit.
When China first established diplomatic ties with the five Central Asian countries in 1992, the trade volume stood at 460 million U.S. dollars. By 2024, that figure has increased to 94.8 billion, an increase of over 200 times in three decades. China has become Central Asia's top trading partner and a major source of investment. Among the five countries, Kazakhstan, the region’s largest economy, ranked first in trade value with China, accounting for over 46 percent of the total, reaching 43.8 billion dollars.
Take energy for example. Being one of the most important areas of trade between Central Asia—rich in vast reserves of energy and minerals—and China, the world’s second-largest economy with a huge energy demand.
The China-Central Asia gas pipeline, which runs through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, is China's first transnational gas pipeline. According to PipeChina West Pipeline Company, the pipeline has delivered more than 500 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China since 2009. It fuels China’s economy and boosts infrastructure and revenues across the region.
In the meantime, amid the global energy transition to cleaner energy, Central Asia is following suit—with China’s help. In Kazakhstan, one landmark project is the Zhanatas wind farm, a key part of China - Kazakhstan capacity cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. As one of the largest in Central Asia, it generates about 350 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power millions of local households. Projects as such help ease power shortages in southern Kazakhstan and contributes to national environmental protection goals. All parties further emphasized cooperation in the green economy during the 2023 China-Central Asia Summit in Xi'an.
Infrastructure projects that enhance regional connectivity are another highlight of China-Central Asia cooperation. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, scheduled to begin construction this year, will start in Kashgar, a city in Xinjiang, China, and pass through the mountainous terrain of Kyrgyzstan before reaching Uzbekistan. Once finished, it will cut travel time, open new trade corridors, and reduce Central Asia’s dependence on distant ports. It’s a bold step toward transforming the region’s geography from barrier to bridge.
As part of the Belt and Road Initiative, projects like this are not only reshaping Central Asia's physical infrastructure but also reviving its historical role as a vibrant trade hub, like the ancient Silk Road.
The bond between China and Central Asia continues to deepen, with cooperation gaining momentum in more key areas such as the digital economy, agriculture, education, and culture. In a world often divided by competition, the China-Central Asia collaboration offers a different model—mutual respect, shared development goals, and a community with a shared future.
Earlier, Kazinform reported on how Central Asian countries can promote external trade and diversify trade structure to achieve economic resilience amid the lingering trade turbulence.