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This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
The second China-Central Asia Summit is the second leaders’ meeting of the multilateral cooperation mechanism established between the People’s Republic of China and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The summit was held on 17 June 2025 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The first summit took place in 2023 in Xi’an, a city in China’s Shaanxi province. The meeting in Astana marked the first leaders’ summit under the “C+C5” format held on Central Asian soil outside China.
This summit was initiated with the decision to establish regular meetings at the leaders’ level between the parties. It was foreseen that these meetings would rotate between China and the Central Asian countries. During the summit, arrangements were discussed to institutionalize cooperation in political, economic, security, and cultural fields.
The summit is conducted under the “China-Central Asia Mechanism,” established by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This mechanism is also linked to the Belt and Road Initiative through transport and trade corridors along the Asia-Europe axis.
Kazakhstan, as the host of the summit, enhanced security measures in Astana and made adjustments to flight schedules during the preparation phase. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Kazakhstan on 16 June 2025 to attend the summit. He was formally received by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in Astana.
President Xi was accompanied by senior diplomats from the Chinese delegation. This visit marked his sixth official visit to Kazakhstan since assuming office. During the bilateral talks with Tokayev, the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in energy, digital infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, media, and scientific research.
In honor of the Chinese president’s arrival, Kazakhstan organized a large-scale diplomatic reception ceremony, during which children and youth recited poems. Events highlighting the message of friendship between China and Kazakhstan also continued in the airport lounge.
Before the summit, numerous bilateral meetings were held among the participants. Following his meeting with Tokayev on 16 June, President Xi held separate talks on the morning of 17 June with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Key topics in these discussions included infrastructure investments, cross-border transportation projects, energy partnerships, and regional security. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was prioritized in talks between Xi and Japarov. During his meeting with Rahmon, China reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Tajikistan’s national sovereignty and security. In discussions with Berdimuhamedow, the expansion of natural gas cooperation was explored, and during the meeting with Mirziyoyev, the alignment of trade liberalization policies and development strategies was assessed.
The summit held in Astana was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping along with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The summit has been organized as the highest-level meeting bringing together the leaders of China and five Central Asian countries under the “C+C5” cooperation framework. It was decided at the first summit held in Xi’an China in 2023 that leader-level meetings would be held biennially on a rotating basis between China and Central Asian countries.
The official agenda of the Astana summit began on 17 June 2025 with morning sessions. Following the opening ceremony Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an opening address in which the level of China-Central Asia cooperation achieved over the past two years was assessed and new steps toward multifaceted integration were announced.
During the summit the six leaders held bilateral meetings in addition to multilateral sessions. The program included negotiations in key areas such as transportation projects trade and investment agricultural cooperation green development and digital integration.
Cultural programs and preparations for a joint declaration also continued throughout the summit day. Official activities concluded with the signing of the Astana Declaration and multilateral agreements. At the end of the summit day the parties issued a joint press statement and reached consensus on the thematic calendar to guide the next summit.
At the Astana Summit, the institutionalization of political relations between China and Central Asian countries on the basis of diplomatic equality was placed on the agenda. The parties agreed to continue the multilateral consultation process established under the “China-Central Asia Mechanism” and to hold periodic meetings at the leader level. The summit emphasized mutual recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.
Documents signed by the parties included objectives to liberalize commercial transactions, simplify customs and logistics procedures, and improve the investment climate. China committed to providing 1.5 billion yuan in development assistance in this direction, with the funds designated for projects aimed at improving living standards in the region. Furthermore, an agreement was reached to establish a “seamless trade platform” to increase trade volume between China and the five Central Asian countries.
Under the summit’s framework, strengthening land and railway networks in alignment with the Belt and Road Initiative and expanding cross-border energy cooperation were prioritized. It was announced that technical preparations for the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Project have been completed and the project has entered the implementation phase. The second phase of the restoration of the China-Tajikistan highway, feasibility studies for the third China-Kazakhstan railway connection, and China-Turkmenistan natural gas cooperation were also on the agenda.
The summit evaluated a series of proposals to enhance mutual social understanding and cultural engagement. It was noted that visa requirements have been eliminated between China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with similar arrangements planned for other countries. The parties agreed to expand joint platforms such as cultural centers, university branches and Lu Ban Workshops, and China announced it would provide 3,000 vocational training scholarships.
The Astana Summit aimed to develop joint security policies against transnational threats. Cooperation was emphasized in the fields of terrorism, separatism, extremism, cybersecurity and biosecurity, with a proposal for a “Common Framework for Security” presented. China also affirmed its support for modernizing the national defense, internal security and law enforcement capacities of Central Asian countries. The summit addressed joint humanitarian and diplomatic contributions toward stabilizing Afghanistan.
During the summit in Astana, the “Treaty on Eternal Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation” was signed between China and the five Central Asian countries. This treaty aims to establish a permanent and institutional foundation for diplomatic relations and defines the legal status of neighborly ties. It is recorded as one of the first multilateral good-faith documents China has signed with neighboring countries in its foreign relations.
The Astana Declaration, issued at the conclusion of the summit, outlined the trajectory of relations among the parties and the framework for future cooperation. The declaration reaffirmed the commitment of all countries to relations based on mutual respect, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and emphasized the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with regional development strategies. It also expressed firm determination to institutionalize the China-Central Asia Mechanism.
During the summit, 24 bilateral agreements were signed between China and Kazakhstan covering trade, investment, digitalization, tourism and border infrastructure. These protocols include the construction of a pumped-storage power plant in the Almaty region, the establishment of a coal gasification facility in the Karaganda region, and green hydrogen production projects. Industrial projects related to agricultural product processing facilities were also included in the signed documents.
China announced it would provide a total of 1.5 billion yuan (approximately 210 million US dollars) in development grants to Central Asian countries in 2025. This financial support is planned for use in social development, poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability and technology transfer. Furthermore, the parties decided to establish three separate centers focused on educational exchange, combating desertification and facilitating trade.
A protocol confirming the transition of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Project into the implementation phase was signed during the summit. Technical cooperation agreements were also recorded for the second-phase restoration of the China-Tajikistan highway and for planning a new railway line between China and Kazakhstan. Coordination decisions to expand the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route were also signed.
The Astana Summit officially announced the commencement of construction for the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Project. The project is planned to extend from China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region through Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan. The line, targeted for completion by 2030, constitutes a strategic transport corridor enabling direct land-based connectivity between China and Central Asian countries.
It was stated that feasibility studies for a third railway connection between China and Kazakhstan are ongoing. The second phase of restoration work on the China-Tajikistan highway has been commissioned, and a decision was made to expand the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. These projects are being developed in an integrated manner with the east-west transport networks linking the Belt and Road Initiative to Europe.
A technical cooperation agreement was reached to increase natural gas transmission capacity between China and Turkmenistan. The parties also indicated potential for cooperation beyond energy, highlighting environmentally friendly industrial activities and infrastructure projects. Modernization of energy transportation infrastructure is linked to plans ensuring the security of critical energy flow routes along the Belt and Road corridors.
The second China-Central Asia Summit was held in Astana on June 17, 2025. The summit addressed political economic and security cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries. At the conclusion of the meeting the Eternal Good Neighborliness Agreement and the Astana Declaration were signed. The parties adopted numerous protocols in the areas of transportation energy digital infrastructure and cultural exchange.
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June 17, 2025
Summit Preparations and Diplomatic Visits
June 17, 2025
Participating Countries and Summit Day Program
June 18, 2025
Key Agenda Items of the Summit
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Agreements and Declarations Signed
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Projects Aligned with the Belt and Road Initiative