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On 26 April 2025, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a Press Release in the usual language translations (English, French, Spanish and Russian) and thus signal an intention to make what followed generally available to mass audiences) its summary report of the Sixth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting. It was held 26 April 2025 in Almaty. The text of that reporting follows below in their English and Chinese versions.
I returned to this now to underscore the framework that Foreign Minister 王毅 [Wang Yi] outlined, not necessarily for its application to China's relations with Central Asia but more generally as a marker of the framework around which Chinese outbound relations are built. Though the tone will change based on the status of a State and the context of interaction--the United States and Croatia will be treated different--the framework remains the same. These are built around the five principles of outbound relations that serve as the basis for virtually everything China builds abroad--from its silk roads initiatives (including BRI), to its approach to reshaping the structures and practices of international institutions.
These are likely to hep frame the way in which U.S. bilateral relations are being framed (see, e.g., Trump Says Trade Deal With China ‘Is Done,’ but Offers Few Details; see also here). And these are likely to become more prominent as the US retreats from the Geneva and New York based international institutional complexes to pursue its own aggregating bilateral transactional pathways.
"First, firmly uphold good faith and foster harmony. China and Central Asian countries should fully leverage the strategic guiding role of head-of-state diplomacy, make sound preparations for the second China-Central Asia Summit, and take the implementation of the common understandings reached between the heads of state as the fundamental principle." [一是坚持讲信修睦。充分发挥元首外交的战略引领作用，筹备好第二届中国—中亚峰会，以落实元首共识为根本遵循].
The important element here is the reminder that all relations with China must start at the top and then trickle down. This is not just a matter of tone at the top; rather it is a reminder that all relations with foreigners are regulated (1) between states and (2) proceed only from agreement at the highest levels of the State apparatus. The American version of disaggregated, transactional, penetrative, and markets driven arrangements facilitated by States, a hallmark of U.S. approaches in Asia since the 1850s (and more generally in its free trade arrangements), is implicitly rejected. In its place is the ordering premise that all relations are set by political leaders who act as the supreme gatekeepers both to entry into the territories of a State and also who determine that nature and terms of that "opening up." The "Merchant" (商), the "Bureaucrat" (士) and the "Tariff War"--The Cognitive Cages of the New Apex Post-Global and the Condition of the U.S. and China in their Folie à Deux
"Second, stick to mutually beneficial cooperation. China and Central Asian countries should formulate and implement more facilitation measures to further increase the scale of trade and investment." [二是坚持互利合作。制定实施更多便利化举措，进一步提升贸易和投资规模。]
Development remains the core ordering principle of opening up. The negotiation around inter-penetrative development is then ordered through China's win-win principle.
It is being reconstructed within hub and spoke state to state constructs being attempted to be built on the foundations of globalization through Belt & Road and America First Initiatives. It s attempted to be reconstructed in more modest ways by South.South integration efforts. But is all marked by what the South-South community pioneered in ALBA and the Chinese refined as win-win relations--transactional, and uneven in the sense that the value of transactional relations is not measured by a single standard but is a function of the value that each participant apples to the transaction (and their aggregation) as a function of their national needs and national circumstances. (The New Order for the Ages? "Trump's Tariffs," Fractured Territories and the Discursive (Re)Ordering of the Global)
But this top down principle of mutual cooperation is itself a function of the national security interests of all parties to negotiation (Great Wall and Silk Roads: 新时代的中国国家安全 (2025年5月）[China's National Security in the New Era (May 2025)]--State Council [国务院] White Paper [白皮书]).
Third, adhere to institutional development. China and Central Asian countries should strengthen coordination, accelerate the development of the mechanism's pillars, and better leverage the role of the ministerial cooperation mechanism in the 12 key areas. [三是坚持机制建设。加强统筹协调，加快机制“四梁八柱”建设，更好发挥12个重点领域部级合作机制作用。]
If agreement is a function of political decisions made by the core of the political leadership of the State, and if it is grounded in a transactionally contextual objective of win-win development that is national security compatible, then its elaboration becomes the object of the national techno-bureaucracies led, as would be proper in a hierarchically arranged system of people and institutions, by the ministers of the States whose leaders have agreed. Again, the notion embodies the conceptual universe of the official (士) and rejects the orienting framework of the merchant (商). While the leaders develop the framework, in fidelity to their political-economic model and their rationalizing perspectives, the technocracy of suitably able officials are charged with its management--a management overseen, coordinated, and directed by the techno-bureaucracies. What is underscored, especially by its absence, is the notion of markets, and markets driven behaviors, as anything but an instrument of higher order politics. What is underscored are pyramids of authority driven from the top rather than as an expression of the aggregated manifestations of actions at the bottom.Fourth, adhere to fairness and justice. China and Central Asian countries should jointly remember history and commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. [四是坚持公平正义。共同铭记历史，纪念世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年和联合国成立80周年。]
What gives order and purpose to pyramids of authority, what drives its mechanisms, and produces the contextually based value structures essential for development driven win-win relations are a collective memory of history as an expression and vindication of normative principle. In this case that is embedded in the collective memorialization of the formative event--named (and in naming given value and shaping meaning) as the World Anti-Fascist War. Values of fairness and justice, then, are understood as a function of events that themselves embody the forms and results by which value is to be measured. History is linear and driven by its own logic toward its own apotheosis in and as progress, which can be judges by others ("Standing on the right side of history and human progress" [站在历史正确一边]). And again, like markets, the international institutions and the system that they express must be understood as instruments for the realization of this progress which is read into a history which is relentless in its (forward) march. The implication, of course, is that these vanguard States must address in a meaningful way those States which impede or oppose that march.Fifth, be firm in friendship for generations. China and Central Asian countries should uphold the values of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, enhance mutual understanding, and ensure that the torch of friendship is passed down through generations.[五是坚持世代友好。秉持平等、互鉴、对话、包容的文明观，增进相互理解，让世代友好薪火相传]
What is developed at the top, and its theory, perspective, and way of understanding the world, right/wrong, values and the like must be inculcated among the masses in the sense of teaching an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction. The form of that inculcation, of course, is generated from the core of leadership, and then elaborated through its techno-bureaucracies. But it is manifested in people to people encounters, capacity building and the more intimate integration of intellectual habits and manners to develop mass solidarity within sovereignties. The Americans pioneered this after the 1950s, but have lost their way. The Chinese, it appears are both good students and quite capable to transforming the forms to suit their own objectives. At some point it might return, as well, to America First. But not today.
On April 26, 2025 local time, the Sixth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Almaty. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Jeenbek Kulubaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov, representative of Turkmenistan and Secretary-General of the China-Central Asia mechanism jointly attended the meeting. This China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers' Meeting laid the comprehensive political groundwork for the upcoming second China-Central Asia Summit later this year and facilitated in-depth discussions on advancing China-Central Asia cooperation in all aspects.
Wang Yi said that at present, changes of the world, of the times, and of historical significance are unfolding like never before. Unilateralism and trade protectionism are on the rise at an accelerated pace, and the trend of "anti-globalization" has severely impacted the free trade system. The United States has acted unilaterally to impose tariffs on over 180 countries at will, infringing upon the legitimate rights and interests of these nations, violating World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, undermining the rule-based multilateral trading system, and destabilizing the global economy. China has stepped forward and taken necessary countermeasures, not only to defend its own legitimate rights and interests, but also to safeguard international rules and order as well as international fairness and justice. No matter how the global landscape changes, China, as the world's second-largest economy and a responsible major country, will unswervingly advance high-standard opening-up, seek common development with neighboring countries, and share opportunities with the world, while shouldering its due international responsibilities and fulfilling its international obligations. Wang Yi put forward five proposals from the Chinese side for deepening China-Central Asia cooperation.
First, firmly uphold good faith and foster harmony. China and Central Asian countries should fully leverage the strategic guiding role of head-of-state diplomacy, make sound preparations for the second China-Central Asia Summit, and take the implementation of the common understandings reached between the heads of state as the fundamental principle to strengthen the political foundation of good-neighborliness, friendship, unity, and mutual trust among the six countries. The Chinese side firmly supports the six countries in safeguarding their sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national dignity, and strengthening their collective self-reliance.
Second, stick to mutually beneficial cooperation. China and Central Asian countries should formulate and implement more facilitation measures to further increase the scale of trade and investment. China is ready to import more high-quality, green agricultural products from Central Asia, select and implement a number of high-quality cooperation projects, expand cooperation in emerging fields, and cultivate new quality productive forces for cooperation. The six countries should increase investment in infrastructure and create a three-dimensional, diversified regional connectivity network.
Third, adhere to institutional development. China and Central Asian countries should strengthen coordination, accelerate the development of the mechanism's pillars, and better leverage the role of the ministerial cooperation mechanism in the 12 key areas. Taking the full-scale operation of the mechanism's secretariat as an opportunity, the six countries should promote the secretariat's work to achieve a good start.
Fourth, adhere to fairness and justice. China and Central Asian countries should jointly remember history and commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Standing on the right side of history and human progress, the six countries should join hands to safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and oppose any form of resurgence of fascism and militarism.
Fifth, be firm in friendship for generations. China and Central Asian countries should uphold the values of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, enhance mutual understanding, and ensure that the torch of friendship is passed down through generations. Additional measures should be formulated to facilitate personnel exchanges among the six countries. It is necessary to strengthen cooperation in education and talent training, and cultivate inheritors and successors of the cause of friendship.
The foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries attending the meeting highly appraised the high-level unity and mutual trust with China and the important role of the China-Central Asia mechanism. They supported the building of a community with a shared future with neighboring countries proposed by China. Guided by the common understandings reached between the heads of state of the six countries at the Xi'an Summit, the five Central Asian countries will continue to work with China to firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and further tap into the potential for cooperation between the two sides, so as to set a new milestone in the building of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future. The Central Asian countries will synergize their development strategies with the Belt and Road Initiative, deepen cooperation in priority areas such as unimpeded trade, industrial investment, connectivity, green minerals, agricultural modernization, and facilitation of personnel exchanges, and achieve sustainable development and common prosperity. They will work with China to combat the "three forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism and transnational crimes to safeguard regional peace and tranquility.
All parties welcome the full-scale operation of the secretariat of the China-Central Asia mechanism and will fully support the secretariat in playing an active role in promoting China-Central Asia cooperation.
All parties believe that China is a stabilizing factor in a turbulent world and has played a demonstrative role in multilateralism. All parties reaffirmed their support for multilateralism and strengthened dialogue and cooperation within the framework of the United Nations and others. All parties expressed their support for international trade rules and do not recognize the practice of unilateralism and protectionism. They will strengthen coordination in this regard, safeguard their legitimate rights and interests, and promote unimpeded regional trade.
The meeting issued a press release.
During the meeting, Wang Yi held bilateral meetings respectively with the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries present.
* * *
当地时间2025年4月26日，中国—中亚外长第六次会晤在阿拉木图举行。中共中央政治局委员、外交部长王毅同哈萨克斯坦副总理兼外长努尔特列乌、吉尔吉斯斯坦外长库鲁巴耶夫、塔吉克斯坦外长穆赫里丁、乌兹别克斯坦外长赛义多夫、土库曼斯坦代表以及中国—中亚机制秘书长共同出席。本次外长会晤为将于年内举行的第二届中国—中亚峰会作了全面政治准备，并就全方位推进中国—中亚合作进行深入沟通。
王毅说，当前，世界之变、时代之变、历史之变正以前所未有方式展开。单边主义、贸易保护主义加速抬头，“逆全球化”潮流严重冲击自由贸易体系。美方一意孤行，向180多个国家随意加征关税，侵犯了各国正当权益，违反了世贸组织规则，损害了以规则为基础的多边贸易体制，破坏了全球经济稳定。中方站出来进行必要反制，既是为了维护自身正当权益，也是为了维护国际规则秩序和国际公平正义。作为全球第二大经济体和负责任大国，无论国际风云如何变幻，中国都将坚定不移推进高水平对外开放，与邻国共谋发展，同世界共享机遇，同时继续承担应尽的国际责任，履行应尽的国际义务。王毅就深化中国—中亚合作提出中方5点建议。
一是坚持讲信修睦。充分发挥元首外交的战略引领作用，筹备好第二届中国—中亚峰会，以落实元首共识为根本遵循，筑牢六国睦邻友好、团结互信的政治基础。中方坚定支持六国维护主权独立、领土完整、民族尊严，支持六国联合自强。
二是坚持互利合作。制定实施更多便利化举措，进一步提升贸易和投资规模。中方愿进口更多中亚优质绿色农产品，遴选落实一批优质合作项目，拓展新兴领域合作，培育合作新质生产力。加大基础设施投入，打造立体多元的地区互联互通格局。
三是坚持机制建设。加强统筹协调，加快机制“四梁八柱”建设，更好发挥12个重点领域部级合作机制作用。以机制秘书处全面运营为契机，推动秘书处工作实现“开门红”。
四是坚持公平正义。共同铭记历史，纪念世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年和联合国成立80周年。站在历史正确一边、人类进步一边，携手维护以联合国为核心的国际体系，反对任何形式的法西斯和军国主义复辟行径。
五是坚持世代友好。秉持平等、互鉴、对话、包容的文明观，增进相互理解，让世代友好薪火相传。制定更多措施便利六国人员往来。加强教育和人才培训合作，培养友好事业传承者和接班人。
与会中亚国家外长高度评价同中国的高水平团结互信和中国—中亚机制重要作用，支持中方提出的周边命运共同体建设，将以六国元首西安峰会共识为指引，继续在涉及彼此核心利益问题上相互坚定支持，深入挖掘双方合作潜力，打造中国—中亚命运共同体建设新的里程碑。中亚各国将加强本国发展战略同共建“一带一路”倡议对接，深化贸易畅通、产业投资、互联互通、绿色矿产、农业现代化、人员往来便利化等优先方向合作，实现可持续发展和共同繁荣。共同打击“三股势力”和跨国犯罪，维护地区和平安宁。
各方欢迎中国—中亚秘书处启动全面运营，将全力支持秘书处为促进中国中亚合作发挥积极作用。
各方认为，中国是动荡世界中的稳定因素，为多边主义发挥了示范作用。各方重申支持多边主义，加强在联合国等框架下的对话合作。各方表示支持国际贸易规则，不认同单边保护主义的做法，将为此加强协调，维护自身正当权益，促进地区贸易畅通。
会议发表了新闻公报。
与会期间，王毅同与会中亚国家外长分别举行双边会见。
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