Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on Monday (May 8): “This is the first major home diplomatic event of China (the CCP) this year, and it is also the first time since the establishment of diplomatic relations 31 years ago that the heads of state of the six countries have held a summit in a physical form. It is a milestone in the history of the development of relations between China and Central Asian countries.”
The five countries in Central Asia were once republics of the former Soviet Union. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, they became countries in Russia’s sphere of influence and were mainly influenced by Moscow. It is also part of Beijing’s push for the “New Silk Road”.
After three years of “retreat” due to the CCP virus epidemic, in September last year, Xi Jinping chose Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as the first stop for his first overseas visit. At that time, the outside world believed that apart from wanting to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping also had speculation about poaching corners in Moscow.
Wang Juntao, Chairman of China Democracy Party and Ph.D. from the Political Department of Columbia University, believes that the CCP actively participates in and dominates the Central Asia Summit for three purposes. One is the geographical requirements of the “Belt and Road”, the other is to prevent Xinjiang Muslims from connecting with the international community, and the third is to fill the gap after Russia left.
Wang Juntao told Voice of Hope: “China (the CCP) now wants to strengthen its influence in Central Asia, mainly to make up for Russia’s withdrawal. The Russo-Ukrainian War has hit Russia hard, and its control and influence on these countries in Central Asia is very weak. These The country itself has the needs of economic development and political stability. They need some external support. Of course, China took advantage of the situation and went in to fill the space and gaps after Russia’s weakening. But because China wants to build the Belt and Road Initiative, there are some resources in that place The most important thing is that the Belt and Road Initiative will go through that place, so China will win over the five Central Asian countries. There is also China’s (Xinjiang) Muslim region. If it wants to cut off international ties, it needs the cooperation of the five Central Asian countries. This is the need of geopolitics. In fact, China and those countries cannot get along with each other. The ideology is different and the system is different. Those countries are basically a burden.”