President Xi Jinping is boosting efforts to enhance Beijing’s influence in Central Asia by hosting the first regional summit, aiming to strengthen connections with a region that has traditionally been under Vladimir Putin‘s influence.
What Happened: As Moscow remains focused on the conflict in Ukraine, Beijing’s two-day summit, commencing on Thursday, provides Xi an opportunity to enhance economic and political ties with five crucial former Soviet republics – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
Chienyu Shih, an associate research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told the Financial Times that “I don’t think China is going to replace the significance of Russia in Central Asia in a very short period of time, but [competition for influence] has already started.”
“They are in a kind of silent competition mode.”
See Also: Team Biden Reportedly Aims To Paint Xi Jinping As ‘Recalcitrant' If He Refuses To Engage In Talks
Why it Matters: The summit presents an opportunity for President Xi to demonstrate his statesmanship abilities at a time when Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is gearing up to host the G7 gathering in Hiroshima over the weekend.
The Central Asian allies hold significant importance for Xi’s government due to its perceived role in the security of the politically sensitive Xinjiang region in western China – where Beijing is accused of suppressing the Uyghur’s indigenous Muslim population.
The region also serves as a crucial energy source and a land-based trade route with Europe.
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