Tariq Saeedi and Elvira Kadyrova
The enormity of scale is obvious but there are several other factor that add to the psychological impact of the events that took place in Xi’an city of China on 18 and 19 May 2023.
The first reaction from several quarters is that it cannot be replicated with any other set of players. — It is a wow moment.
The first thing that grabs attention is the superb organizational capacity of China.
On 18 May 2023, the state visits of the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were taking place simultaneously in Xi’an. The president of Turkmenistan was on a working visit because his state visit had already taken place in January this year. However, his visit also had all the trappings of a state visit.
Anyone who knows the requirements of managing a successful state visit of a president can understand the volume and level of organizational skills and capacity that went into conducting the visit of the five presidents at the same time.
These were not just symbolic visits either. More than 100 documents were signed as the combined outcome of these visits. There were massive business meetings on the sidelines.
However, the actual impact was delivered on 19 May 2023, when the first Central Asia–China summit took place.
The outcome was simply unprecedented. At the end of the summit, 54 agreements and cooperation initiatives were signed, 19 mechanisms and platforms were created, and 9 multilateral documents were endorsed.
The details of these are available in our reports linked below:
Outcomes of “Central Asia – China” format – 54 Agreements and Cooperation Initiatives, 19 Mechanisms and Platforms, 9 Multilateral Documents
Итоги саммита “Центральная Азия – Китай” – 54 договоренности и инициативы по сотрудничеству, 19 механизмов и платформ, 9 многосторонних документов
The summit also led to the signing of the joint declaration by all the six presidents. When considered together with the 54 agreements and cooperation initiatives, 19 mechanisms and platforms, and 9 multilateral documents (82 in all), the gargantuan accomplishment comes into focus. It is difficult to comprehend because it is unmatched.
The joint statement (English and Russian versions) is available at our website:
Xi’an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit
https://www.newscentralasia.net/2023/05/20/xian-declaration-of-the-china-central-asia-summit/
Сианьская декларация саммита “Китай – Центральная Азия”
https://www.newscentralasia.net/2023/05/20/sianskaya-deklaratsiya-sammita-kitay-tsentralnaya-aziya/
The joint declaration links the development plans of each Central Asian country in the transport, connectivity, and infrastructure sectors with the BRI of China. This is synchronization of ambitions.
This is how it is enshrined in article 5 of the joint declaration: Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Initiative as a new starting point, the Parties express their readiness to strengthen its harmonization and alignment with the initiatives and national development strategies of the Central Asian states, including the New Economic Policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Nurly Zhol”, the National Development Program of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2026 d., the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period up to 2030, “Revival of the Great Silk Road” of Turkmenistan and the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields in order to form a new architectonics of cooperation, characterized by a high level of complementarity and mutual benefit.
As we know, the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) of China has a total price tag of US $ 4-8 TRILLION, and will ultimately encompass 147 countries. In its ten years of existence, it has already created 420000 jobs and lifted 40 million people out of poverty.
It is also evident from the joint declaration that the Central Asian countries and China have taken joint ownership of their initiatives at the United Nations. This is combined propulsion toward the accomplishment of SDGs.
Also noticeable is that the joint declaration addresses and removes any doubts that are created by certain quarters from time to time.
There is the common desire to make the movement of cargo in any direction as easy and as fast possible. This is for the benefit of all, not just the parties of the joint declaration.
There is the bundling of economies without total integration. This will allow each country to pursue its own economic goals within its own economic model but create strategically placed boosters for cooperation in many flexible ways.
The joint declaration is lean and muscular in its entirety – no flab. However, one sentence underpins its essence: “Against the backdrop of changes unprecedented in a century, the Parties, based on favorable prospects for the peoples of the region, reaffirm their desire to jointly create a closer community of a common destiny for Central Asia and China.”
It weaves together not just the outcomes of the summit but also the aspirations and hopes of the people of Central Asia and China. In doing so, it takes proprietorship of the destinies of the extended region in a very positive way, providing assurance about the green energy, digitalization, e-commerce, and safety nets against the natural and manmade shocks to their economies.
As they say, the genius is in detail. This summit and the contiguous visits of the heads of state connected with each other seamlessly, paying attention to the smallest of details, covering the entire spectrum of the current and future partnership. It gives a new meaning to the concept of ‘comprehensive.’
Last but not least, there is no covert or overt attempt to create a hermetically sealed zone. All sides will continue their cooperation with any countries, regions and organizations as before. By adding more to the Central Asia-China partnership, nothing is being subtracted from the partnership potential with anyone else.
The overall psychological impact is huge. Some may react by attempting to oppose the newly created Central Asia-China format and some may applaud and partner with it in a positive, productive way. Much will depend on how this psychological impact interrelates with the preconceived perceptions. /// nCa, 22 May 2023
Key links for Summit materials: