By Alperen Aktas
ISTANBUL (AA) - The second Central Asia-China Summit kicked off Tuesday in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, bringing together Chinese President Xi Jinping and the leaders of all five Central Asian states to deepen regional ties and follow up on major investment deals.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hosted the high-level meeting at the Palace of Independence, joined by Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyzstan's Sadyr Zhaparov, Turmkenistan's Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Tajikistan's Emomali Rahmon.
The summit follows a flurry of cooperation forums held in Astana a day earlier, including the Central Asia-China: Energy Forum and the second Central Asia-China Industrial and Investment Cooperation Forum, during which Kazakhstan and China signed nearly 60 agreements valued at some $25 billion.
Chinese companies are also involved in 30 renewable energy projects across Kazakhstan, authorities said, according to the Kazinform news agency.
The cumulative trade volume between China and Central Asian nations last year climbed to around $94.8 billion.
The first such summit was held in Xian in central China’s Shaanxi province in 2023.