Chinese President Xi Jinping will take place next week at China an unprecedented summit featuring the leaders of the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia as Beijing strengthens its presence in a region that has historically been under Russian influence.

The China-Central Asia Summit, the first of its kind, will be held with the participation of the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said today.

The talks will take place on May 18 and 19 in the northern Chinese city of Xi’an, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road.

China has already announced the holding of this summit, but the dates when it will take place have not yet been known.

Russia, which has regarded Central Asia as its sphere of influence since the mid-19th century, sees its role being questioned, while China, Turkey and the West are eyeing their traditional regional allies.

This trend has intensified since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, although Moscow retains strong leverage.

The Central Asian countries with which Beijing’s planned summit will be held are part of the New Silk Roads, a giant road, rail and port infrastructure project launched by China.

However, the growing influence of Beijing in the region causes a certain mistrust among the population, especially in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

One of the reasons is the repression of the Chinese authorities in Xinjiang province against the Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim nation also living in Central Asia.

One sign of Beijing’s growing interest in Central Asia is that President Xi Jinping last year made his first overseas trip to Kazakhstan since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}