Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Category: Central Asia
Pivot to Asia: Why the Near Abroad is Now China’s Top Priority
For much of the past 20 years, China sought to radically expand its presence beyond its traditional spheres of influence to new regions in Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East. China lent billions to countries in these regions and devoted ...
Chart of the Day: Why Are China’s Exports to Central Asia Growing So Rapidly?
China's trade with its Central Asian neighbors is booming. While countries like Kazakhstan export a lot of oil to China, Chinese exports to the region have jumped significantly. China's exports to Central Asia stand at $16.6 billion this year, up 62% from ...
Central Asian Leaders Arrive for China Summit That Could Erode Russian Influence
The leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan have arrived in the ancient Silk Road city of Xi’an for one-on-one meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the first in-person China-Central Asia summit on Friday. Xi is reportedly scheduled to deliver ...
Central Asian Leaders Arrive in Northwestern China For First-Ever Summit With Xi Jinping
Final preparations are underway in the northwestern Chinese city of Xi'an for a high-profile two-day Central Asian summit that gets underway on Thursday hosted by President Xi Jinping and his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. The gathering, known as the ...
China-Central Asia Summit Confirmed for May 18 and 19
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that President Xi Jinping will chair a summit between China and Central Asian states in the northern city of Xi’an on May 18 and 19. The so-called C+C5 summit will include leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Wang Yi Makes Unannounced Visit to Uzbekistan on His Way to Europe
China's top foreign policy official, Wang Yi, made an unannounced stopover in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent to meet with acting foreign minister Bakhtiyor Saidov. After the meeting, Wang then traveled to Paris, where he met with French President ...
The Final Piece of China’s Central Asian BRI Puzzle Is In Place
A recent MoU between China and Turkmenistan means that the whole of Central Asia is now part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This point was made during a briefing by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. The symbolism of completing the Central Asian portion of the BRI is ...
Beijing’s “Wait and See” Approach in Kazakhstan
By Lukas Fiala and Hugo Jones, China Foresight LSE IDEAS Over the two weeks, we closely followed Kazakh people take to the streets to protest against increasing fuel prices after a government decision to lift a price cap. As the protests ...