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The summit represents a historic first — the first time the gathering is being held in a Central Asian country. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to deliver a keynote speech.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun, the summit will open up new space for Belt and Road cooperation and build an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

The inaugural summit was held two years ago in China’s northwestern city of Xi’an, where leaders agreed to hold the top-level gathering every two years alternately in China and Central Asia.

Xi arrived in Astana on Monday to a blue-carpet welcome. The color — featured on Kazakhstan’s national flag — symbolizes the sky and holds deep cultural significance in the country.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, leading a team of senior officials, welcomed the Chinese president at the airport, and hosted a grand ceremony to mark his arrival.

Kazakh children and teenagers recited heartfelt verses for Xi: “China-Kazakhstan friendship heart to heart, the Silk Road shines forever bright;” “You help me and I help you, peace and happiness forever true.”

During their talks later in the day, Xi told Tokayev that China has always viewed and developed its relationship with Kazakhstan from a strategic and long-term perspective.

The two countries should practice true multilateralism, and resolutely safeguard the common interests of the vast majority of developing countries, Xi said.

Kazakhstan-China relations are at the highest level, said Aidar Amrebayev, director of the Center for Political Studies at the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies of the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

“Both a partner and a friend to China,” said Amrebayev, “Kazakhstan, one could say, also serves as a bridge connecting China with many countries across Eurasia.”

There are various formats of cooperation with Central Asian countries, and the most effective and successful is precisely the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism, he said.

During the Xi’an summit in May 2023, Xi and the presidents of the five Central Asian countries signed the Xi’an Declaration, vowing to work together to build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

The Belt and Road Initiative has played a central role in advancing cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries. Thanks to the initiative, China now stands as Central Asia’s top trading partner and major investment source. In 2024, two-way trade soared to almost 95 billion U.S. dollars, up by 5.4 billion dollars from the previous year.

In 2013, Xi first laid out his vision for building the Silk Road Economic Belt — a key component of the initiative in Astana when delivering a landmark speech at Nazarbayev University.

When talking with Tokayev, Xi called for efforts to consolidate strengths of traditional cooperation in trade, investment and energy, advance the construction of cross-border railway projects and the upgrading of port infrastructure, promote connectivity, high-tech cooperation as well as green and sustainable development.

Through the initiative, China is offering a lot of opportunities in energy, digital transformation, AI development and education, said Jessica Neafie, an assistant professor from the Political Science and International Relations Department of Nazarbayev University.

As Kazakhstan is a landlocked country, Neafie said, the initiative, along with broader trends in globalization, has helped people in the country become more globally connected and outward-looking.

Abdugani Mamadazimov, a scholar at Tajik National University, said that since the launch of the initiative, Central Asian countries have actively aligned their national development plans and strategies with it.

The upcoming summit, he noted, is expected to further deepen the Belt and Road cooperation in the region, particularly by accelerating progress in transcontinental land transportation and logistics infrastructure, and promoting the growth of joint ventures across a range of industries and service sectors.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ahead of the second China-Central Asia Summit.

Xi pointed out that China-Kazakhstan relations have withstood the test of international changes and have consistently maintained a high level of development. This is due to the geographical proximity and the long-standing friendship between the two peoples, as well as the inevitable choice for the two countries to pursue development together, he said.

In recent years under joint planning of the two leaders, Xi said, the China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future has become more substantial and richer in content, with tangible and people-centered outcomes continuously emerging, effectively enhancing the sense of fulfillment among the two peoples.

China has always viewed and developed its relationship with Kazakhstan from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is willing to work together with Kazakhstan to unswervingly consolidate the friendship between the two countries, he said.

Xi emphasized that both China and Kazakhstan are at crucial stages of their respective development and revitalization, and the two countries should work together to advance comprehensive cooperation.

First, high-level strategic mutual trust should guide the development of bilateral relations, Xi said, urging both countries to continue to support each other on issues involving their core interests and major concerns, to promote synergy of their development strategies, to be strong supporters of each other amid the turbulent international situation, and to be helpful partners in their respective development and revitalization.

Second, he said, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation should be used to improve bilateral cooperation. Efforts should be made to consolidate strengths of traditional cooperation in trade, investment and energy, advance the construction of cross-border railway projects and the upgrading of port infrastructure, promote connectivity, high-tech cooperation as well as green and sustainable development, Xi said.

Third, he said, comprehensive security cooperation should be carried out to safeguard peace and stability of the two countries. This includes expanding law enforcement and defense exchanges, jointly combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, and deepening cooperation in emergency management as well as disaster prevention and mitigation, Xi said.

Fourth, Xi noted, diversified people-to-people exchanges should be carried out to solidify the foundation of China-Kazakhstan friendship. He also called for organizing well the China tourism year in Kazakhstan and encouraging more exchanges among youth, media and think tanks as well as at the local level.

Xi pointed out that in the face of the international situation intertwined with changes and chaos, China and Kazakhstan should firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, practice true multilateralism, and resolutely safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

China commends Kazakhstan for the extensive preparatory work it has done for the second China-Central Asia Summit, and believes that this meeting will write a new chapter in cooperation between China and Central Asia, Xi said.

Meanwhile, as the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), China is willing to work with all member states to take this year’s Tianjin summit as an opportunity to strengthen the organization and demonstrate new development, new breakthroughs and new looks.

For his part, Tokayev said that China is a friendly neighbor, close friend and reliable partner of Kazakhstan.

The Kazakhstan-China permanent comprehensive strategic partnership is entering a new golden age, driving the sustainable economic and social development of both countries, benefiting the two peoples, and serving as a model of relations between countries, he said.

Noting that Kazakhstan and China share a strong political will to enhance cooperation, Tokayev said the two countries have always supported each other on issues concerning their core interests, such as sovereignty and security, regardless of changes in the international landscape.

Under the wise leadership of President Xi, great achievements have been made in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, he said.

Kazakhstan is sincerely glad for these achievements and firmly believes that China will continue to achieve greater development accomplishments, Tokayev said, adding that Kazakhstan is willing to deepen strategic mutual trust and all-round mutually beneficial cooperation with China and elevate bilateral relations to a new level.

The two sides should jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, expand cooperation in fields such as trade, investment, industry, agriculture, energy and transportation, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges in culture, education, sports and tourism, he added.

The Kazakh side highly appreciates and actively supports China’s commitment and efforts to safeguard international fairness and justice, and is ready to continue close cooperation and mutual support with China within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the SCO, BRICS, the China-Central Asia mechanism, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, so as to push forward the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.

Following the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the exchange of more than 10 bilateral cooperation documents covering areas such as trade, investment, science and technology, customs, tourism, and media.

Xi was welcomed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and other senior officials at the airport.

After Xi’s plane entered Kazakh airspace, fighter jets of Kazakhstan’s air defense forces took off to escort it.

Kazakh teenagers and children, holding the national flags of China and Kazakhstan, warmly welcomed Xi’s visit.

Accompanied by Tokayev, Xi watched the march-past performed by the guard of honor, as helicopters bearing the flags of both countries flew over the airport. Inside the airport VIP lounge, the two heads of state also enjoyed performances by Kazakh teenagers and children.

Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 33 years ago, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have achieved leapfrog development and are now at their best in history, Xi noted.

The Chinese president recalled that he held a fruitful meeting with Japarov in Beijing in February, where they reached a series of important consensuses that have injected new and strong impetus into bilateral cooperation.

China is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to continuously deepen the alignment of development strategies, continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, and safeguard common and long-term interests of both sides, he said.

Xi urged the two sides to scale up trade and investment, deepen financial cooperation, improve connectivity networks, and advance the high-quality construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

He also called on the two sides to foster new drivers of growth in clean energy, green minerals and artificial intelligence, enhance communication in fields such as culture, tourism, education and health, and implement more projects that benefit the people.

Noting that China and Kyrgyzstan are both beneficiaries of economic globalization, he called on the two sides to jointly oppose unilateralism, firmly safeguard the international economic and trade order, and promote a more just and equitable global governance system.

Noting that the two sides will successively assume the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and host summits, Xi said that China is willing to work with Kyrgyzstan to support each other and jointly promote the greater development of the SCO.

Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

China firmly supports Tajikistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and security, Xi said.

Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

Xi urged China and Turkmenistan to scale up natural gas cooperation, expand cooperation in non-resource fields and optimize trade structure. He called on the two sides to accelerate the establishment of cultural centers in each other’s countries and promote people-to-people connectivity.

Xi said that China supports Turkmenistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization.

Xi arrived in the Kazakh capital of Astana on Monday to attend the second China-Central Asia Summit.