\u00a0In focus also were people-to-people exchanges, a \u2018Cultural Silk Road\u2019 programme, and issues of regional terrorism and extremism.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nMajor Highlights\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n- China: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Its interest in the region grew rapidly. Central Asia was a readymade market for cheap exports and gave China overland access to markets in Europe and West Asia.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n- The summit is bound to have an important and far-reaching influence on China\u2019s relations with Central Asian countries and carry global significance.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- China is ready to work with all parties to review past experience, chart a blueprint for cooperation, and demonstrate unity, creativity and efficiency, with a view to achieving sound and sustained growth of China-Central Asia relations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- The approach of Central Asian countries: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>These former Soviet republics intend to maintain<\/span><\/span><\/span> balanced regional and international engagements.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n- They have been able to successfully implement a multi-vectored foreign policy that stretches beyond the Russia-China axis.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Turkmenistan\u2019s foreign policy: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>The basic parameter of Turkmenistan\u2019s foreign policy since its independence in 1991 has been the country\u2019s official status of \u2018neutrality\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n- Turkmenistan will continue the policy of neutrality based on good neighbourliness, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation with all the countries of the world\u2019.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Uzbekistan<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>: The main priority of its foreign policy is regional security in Central Asia, which includes the precarious environment in Afghanistan.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n- Other priority directions cover relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member-states, Russia, China, the United States, the European Union (EU), Turkey, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Kyrgyzstan: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Economic and security concerns have been the decisive factor in formulating the foreign policy strategies of Kyrgyzstan in the post-independence era.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- Tajikistan: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>The foreign policy of Tajikistan is an \u2018open doors\u2019 and a peace-seeking policy, indicating the \u2018country\u2019s readiness to build friendly relations with all countries and recognize shared interests based on reciprocal respect and equality\u2019.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Implications\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n- The brief overview of the foreign policy trajectories in Central Asia highlights their common characteristics, i.e., multi-vectorism.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n- This pragmatic approach certainly pays off, as it provides the benefits of maintaining friendly ties with multiple players, including Russia.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- In this sense, the Central Asian republics could serve as a relevant example for other post-Soviet countries, e.g., Georgia and Moldova.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Some may view this summit as a testament to an ever-expanding Chinese influence in the region, which poses a c<\/span><\/span><\/span>hallenge to <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Russia\u2019s ambitions.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n- Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had held more than 50 meetings (both online and in person) with Central Asian leaders.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Where does India stand in this situation?<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n- India made its biggest outreach to Central Asia with last year\u2019s summit, but its relationships in the region, including in the SCO, remain security-driven.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- While India has trading ties with these countries, it is hobbled by the absence of a land route to Central Asia, with Pakistan denying it passage and Afghanistan being uncertain territory after the Taliban takeover.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- The Chabahar port in Iran offers an alternative route, but it is not fully developed yet.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- There have been suggestions that India should provide connectivity for people and trade in Central Asia through \u201cair corridors\u201d, as it had done for Afghanistan.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Way Ahead<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n- The world needs a prosperous Central Asia. A dynamic and prospering Central Asia will help people in the region achieve their aspiration for a better life.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n- It will also lend a strong impetus to global economic recovery.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- India\u2019s leadership of the SCO this year may provide it with an opportunity to diversify relations with this strategic region.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n
\n\n\n| \n Mains Practise Question\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n[Q] <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Discuss China\u2019s relations with Central Asian countries, and how it affects India\u2019s interests.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In News Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit in Xi\u2019an, Shaanxi Province. The Central Asia region (CA)\u00a0 It comprises the countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.\u00a0 It is a diverse region with a mix of upper-middle and low-income countries with major strategic importance due to their geographic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[30,34],"class_list":["post-1588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial-analysis","tag-gs-2","tag-india-foreign-relations"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1382634Screenshot_2.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |