Political commitments

Heightened cooperation as part of the BRI was backed by a strong level of commitment from the two sides' top leaders.

During a virtual summit to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties in January, the two sides pledged to build an even closer China-Central Asia Community with a shared future to promote the countries' high-quality development and the region's prosperity and stability.

Xi said during the summit that the key to successful cooperation between China and the five countries is "mutual respect, good neighborliness, and friendship, solidarity and mutual benefit."

He stressed that no matter how the international landscape evolved or how far China developed, the nation would always remain "a good neighbor, a good partner, a good friend, and a good brother" that Central Asian countries could trust and rely on.

Xi also laid out a vision for trade between China and the five countries to rise to $70 billion by 2030, saying that Beijing stands ready to import more high-quality commodities from the five countries and to step up cooperation on energy and high-technology.

During a meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, the five nations' presidents voiced their readiness to continue enhancing cooperation with China as part of the BRI.

Zhao, the research fellow, said: "Central Asia and China, connected by mountains and rivers, share their futures together. The region has been a major source of China's imports of energy and bulk commodities, a new destination for Chinese investment, and a market for Chinese commodities. The two sides have attained win-win cooperation through equal and pragmatic cooperation."