"China's influence in Central Asia grows day by day," "Chinese and Russian leaders meet again," "China supports Kazakhstan's accession to the BRICS cooperation mechanism."
Foreign media recently published a series of reports, paying close attention to the 24th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State, which will be held in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on July 3-4.
On the evening of July 2, local time, President Xi Jinping was invited to have dinner with President Tokayev of Kazakhstan and had cordial and friendly exchanges on China-Kazakhstan relations and issues of common concern in a pleasant and warm environment. This is Xi shaking hands with Tokayev. Photo Xinhua News Agency.
On July 2, local time, CNN reported that the Eurasian Club of Nations, led by China and Russia, will expand again this week, with Belarus expected to be the last country to join, and that "The United States has no place in Eurasia."
According to the SCO secretary general, the organization is also receiving membership applications from countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia that are actively seeking to join the SCO family. This also means that the SCO's scope is gradually expanding from the hinterland of the Asian and European continents to the southeast, northwest, southwest and other directions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on July 2 and 3, respectively, and their second meeting in a month and a half attracted the attention of the international community. The leaders of SCO member states will further discuss deepening multifaceted cooperation within the organization on the current and future situation, Reuters reported, citing a statement on the Kremlin's official website.
The SCO is helmed by China and Russia, but also includes India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan as members. This year’s summit is headlined by the admission of Belarus into the organization.
This marks a trajectory of growth for the SCO over its 23-year history. Since it was founded in 2001, the bloc has shifted from a forum mostly focused on Central Asia into a Eurasia-wide organization with ever-growing ambitions.
In its early days, this was centered on China settling its borders with its western neighbors following the collapse of the Soviet Union and looking to expand its influence, while assuaging any anxieties in Moscow. Over time, things have shifted to counterterrorism, economic development, and regional security.
But it’s also increasingly becoming a venue for Beijing to show its growing heft around the region, a development that is continuing as Xi arrived early in the Kazakh capital, Astana, for a state visit and then will do the same in Tajikistan after the summit.
The bloc has also begun to feature more prominently in shared statements from China and Russia, with the SCO getting notable shout-outs during Xi and Putin’s “no-limits” partnership summit in February 2022 and other meetings between both leaders as they look to cooperate more through the organization.
After years of Russia using the bloc to water down Chinese influence in the region – and blocking Chinese-initiatives like an SCO development bank and free-trade zone – the Kremlin shifted to working more closely with China.
This began during Russia's isolation from the West that took hold in 2014 and has only grown since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has also started to accept that it has fewer cards to freeze out China and that the SCO can serve as a valuable forum to build support and undermine Western claims that the war in Ukraine has turned it into an international pariah, says RFA.
Automobile, photovoltaic, railroad ...... "China's influence is growing day by day"
On July 2, Xi Jinping arrived in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on a special plane escorted by Kazakh warplanes, marking his fifth visit to Kazakhstan. 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin also flew into Kazakhstan. In addition, heads of state and government from Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and many other countries will also attend the SCO summit.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) originated from the "Shanghai Five" grouping of Central Asian countries, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, and was formally developed into the SCO in 2001 with the accession of Uzbekistan. Currently, the SCO has nine member states, three observer states, 14 dialogue partners and a total population of about half of the world's population.
The main program of the summit, scheduled for July 4, is expected to announce the expansion of the number of member states, as well as the signing of 24 joint documents, including the Astana Declaration, after the meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States, which confirms the commitment of the SCO participants to the principles of good-neighborliness, friendship and solidarity, RIA Novosti reported. Following the summit, China will take over the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for the period 2024-2025, assuming the presidency again after seven years.
Xi Jinping held talks with President Tokayev of Kazakhstan
In addition, the seventh meeting of the China-Kazakhstan Business Council was held in Kazakhstan on July 2. During the meeting, more than 500 representatives of Chinese and Kazakh businesses signed more than 40 agreements worth about $3.7 billion. Earlier last month, the signing ceremony of the trilateral intergovernmental agreement on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was held in Beijing. According to the New York Times, "the railway is very important" and will provide China with a shortcut for overland trade with Iran, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, and even the Middle East and Europe.
According to Xinhua News Agency, bilateral trade between China and many Central Asian countries is booming, and the results of cooperation in the fields of agriculture, new energy and high technology are emerging. From the completion and commissioning of the Turgusun hydropower plant to the grid-connected power generation of the 100 MW photovoltaic plant in Kapchagai, Chinese enterprises have injected a steady stream of power into Kazakhstan's energy transformation. Chinese automobile brands such as Chery, Changan and Haval have become the favorites of Kazakhstani consumers.
BYD, Geely and other Chinese cars are speeding through the streets of Uzbekistan, said the U.S. Wall Street Journal. China's influence in Central Asia has become more and more apparent, according to the U.S.-based Caspian Policy Center.
As China projects more power in Central Asia, some foreign media say that "Russia seems to be in an awkward position." In response, the Harvard Business Review quoted a Russian analyst as saying that both regional powers want to see a stable Kazakhstan and play different roles-Moscow cooperates with Kazakhstan on political and security issues, while China usually plays a financial and economic role.
Kazakhstan, China Ink $3.7 Billion Deals, Deepen Energy Ties
Kazakhstan and China solidified their economic ties by signing over 40 agreements worth $3.7 billion (1.75 trillion tenge) during the Kazakh-Chinese Business Council meeting in Astana, according to Kazinform.
The meeting was attended by more than 500 business representatives, including over 50 of China’s largest companies. The signed agreements include deals, heavily focused on expanding energy cooperation between the two nations. Key deals include:
Agreement between Samruk-Kazyna JSC and Sany Renewables Energy on the production of wind components
Memorandum of Understanding between Samruk-Kazyna JSC and China Energy Overseas Investment Co., Ltd.
Framework Agreement between Samruk-Kazyna JSC and CNPC
Framework Agreement between the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan and CNPC
A framework agreement between KazMunaiGas and CNPC to deepen strategic cooperation in the oil and gas industry. [the parties intend to explore prospects for cooperation in petrochemical projects, as well as oil and gas exploration and production in the Caspian sedimentary basin, and exploration of new subsurface areas]
Trilateral Protocol between the participants in relation to the Sileno project between KazMunayGas JSC, Sinopec (China) and SIBUR (Russia) [the Sileno project provides for the construction of the first integrated gas chemical complex for the production of polyethylene with a capacity of 1.25 million tons in the Atyrau region.]
KazMunaiGas and Chinese HY signed a Memorandum of Understanding [The companies intend to explore opportunities for joint exploration and development of oil and gas fields, including conducting comprehensive geological studies in deep-lying promising areas]
Memorandum of Cooperation between KEGOC JSC (Kazakhstan Electric Grid Management Company) and China Energy International Group
A four-party agreement between the Mayor’s Office of Astana, the construction company Bazis-A, as well as the Chinese Shenzhen energy environment and China State Construction Engineering Corporation on the construction of an incinerator to generate electricity in Astana
Cooperation Agreement between Samruk-Energy JSC and China International Water & Electric Corp. (CWE)
The agreements extend beyond the energy sector, encompassing transportation and communication. These include deals on locomotive supply, investing in a container hub at the port of Aktau, postal cooperation, e-commerce development, a trilateral agreement paves the way for a unified digital corridor along the China-Kazakhstan-Russia route.
Xi Jinping: China supports Kazakhstan's accession to BRICS
China supports Kazakhstan's intention to become a member of the BRICS international organization, Chinese President Xi Jinping said.
"China supports Kazakhstan's accession to BRICS, supports Kazakhstan as one of the world's middle powers with its growing role and ability to make a worthy contribution to world affairs and global governance," Xi said at a press briefing following talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Xi says ready to join Tokayev for more substantive, dynamic China-Kazakhstan community with shared future.
China intends to continue its close cooperation with Kazakhstan in international issues, "intensifying coordination within multilateral associations such as the UN, the [Shanghai Cooperation Organization] SCO and the China-Central Asia format," he said.
"We will jointly translate into reality initiatives related to global development, global security and global civilization. We will promote an equal and ordered multipolar world system, generally accessible and inclusive economic globalization. We will jointly protect the common interests of our countries and of the whole developing world," Xi said.
China and Kazakhstan stand at the origins of the SCO, Xi said, noting "the considerable contribution of the Kazakh [SCO] presidency to promoting original cooperation and developing the SCO's activities."
"Beyond any doubt, tomorrow's Astana summit will certainly be a complete success and will raise our organization's work to a new level," he said.
"We all agree that China and Kazakhstan are going through the stages of national development and revival, simultaneously moving along the modernization path. We will develop and amplify the existing tradition of mutual support, continuously strengthen political mutual trust and facilitate the cohesion of the national development strategies," Xi said.
Kazakhstan's "GDP may grow by 9%" in line with "Belt and Road" initiative
Kazakhstan's President Tokaev has repeatedly emphasized at many international forums his country's support for the Belt and Road Initiative and its readiness for further cooperation within the Belt and Road framework. Kazakhstan hopes to take advantage of transit transportation within its territory to gain new opportunities for economic development through the Belt and Road, according to the Kazakh International News Agency (KIKA).
In 2014, Kazakhstan launched an economic development program called "Bright Road." In recent years, China and Kazakhstan have pursued in-depth cooperation to strengthen the strategic engagement between the Belt and Road Initiative and the new "Bright Road" economic policy, and have promoted the implementation of a number of major strategic projects in Kazakhstan. According to the data, in 2023 the number of China-EU trains transiting Kazakhstan through the ports of Khorgos and Alashankou was 7,762 and 6,635 respectively, with year-on-year growth of 9.8 percent and 6.8 percent. As of May this year, 26 of 45 capacity cooperation projects established by China and Kazakhstan have been completed, covering metallurgy and minerals, energy resources, machinery manufacturing, building materials and chemicals, and infrastructure construction.
Together with China, Kazakhstan will build the largest logistics center in Central Asia.
Nargis Kasenova, docente dell'Università di Harvard, scrive che il programma di sviluppo Bright Road non comprende solo la cooperazione bilaterale tra Cina e Kazakistan, ma si ispira anche al modello di sviluppo incentrato sulle infrastrutture, sinonimo dell'ascesa economica cinese.
According to the South China Morning Post, Kazakhstan has the potential to derive more value from its agricultural exports if it develops faster and more efficient rail links to its major markets, with China becoming Kazakhstan's largest trading partner by 2023, when bilateral trade between the two countries reached $41 billion.
According to the World Bank, Kazakhstan's GDP could grow by 9 percent if the government implements more reform policies in line with the Belt and Road.
A new generation of Central Asian elites is heading to China, notes the Wall Street Journal
Nodirksen Mahmudov, 19, a business student and graduate of an elite high school in Uzbekistan, told the Wall Street Journal that three of his class of 26 have gone to China to study. Mahmudov, who wants to own a BYD car, now works at a language training institute where eight students, ranging in age from 11 to 21, take a beginners' course to learn Chinese. According to Mahmudov, many politicians and businessmen from the country come here to learn Chinese because they believe that "China is the future."
Kazakhstan has also become a popular and emerging tourist destination for an increasing number of Chinese since China and Kazakhstan exchanged visa-free access in November last year.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as of February this year, the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Kazakhstan has increased 12-fold.
Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao said in an interview with Interfax that 2024 has been declared the Year of China-Kazakhstan Tourism and that cooperation in the field of tourism has become an important part of humanistic exchanges between the two countries.
The Kazakhstan International News Agency (KISA) said on July 2 that Kazakhstan's Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerkinbayev said at the Kazakhstan-China Forum on Promoting Cultural Exchange that Kazakhstan offers tourists a rich nomadic culture, centuries-old history and unique natural landscapes, combined with friendship and good neighborliness. and that as a "Belt and Road" initiative, the country is an ideal destination for Chinese tourists.
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