China Is Squeezing Russia Out Of Central Asia
- 16.06.2025, 12:11
Kazakhstan is helping Beijing in this endeavor.
Chinese President Si Jinping's visit to Kazakhstan is intended to strengthen China's influence in Central Asia amid Russia's general weakening.
According to Bloomberg.
People's Republic of China President Xi Jinping has traveled to Kazakhstan for talks with President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev and to participate in the second summit of Central Asian heads of state.
On Monday, June 16, Xi is scheduled to hold talks with the leader of Kazakhstan, and the following day he will attend a multilateral summit with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The publication notes that this is only Xi Jinping's third overseas trip in 2025. The Astana meeting runs concurrently with the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada.
Xi's visit to Central Asia also comes shortly after the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who held talks with Kazakhstan's foreign minister in Washington.
According to analysts, one of the main objectives of the trip is to strengthen China's position in Central Asia, particularly in the context of a possible escalation of tensions with the United States. It was in Kazakhstan more than a decade ago that Xi Jinping first announced the launch of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.
Partner at London-based consultancy PRISM Strategic Intelligence Ltd. Kate Mallinson notes that Beijing is keen to ensure economic stability in case relations with Washington deteriorate further.
She says China has "come out of the last three years significantly stronger in Central Asia" and continues to strengthen its economy and supply chains after the West sought to isolate Russia from 2022.
The talks are also likely to touch on trade restrictions and tariff policies of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
Bloomberg believes that amid global rivalries, China is seeking to develop alliances in Central Asia, where competition for access to natural resources and geopolitical influence is intensifying. In this context, Western foreign policy activity has also become important: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently visited the region.
The Central Asian region, which has significant reserves of uranium, oil and rare earth metals, is of strategic importance to China, as it provides key overland routes for exporting goods to Europe. Russia's historical influence over the former Soviet republics has been weakened by the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
This creates additional opportunities for Beijing to increase exports to the region, which has a combined gross domestic product of about $500 billion.