As the U.S. attends the G7 summit in Japan, China is hosting its own summit with five Central Asian countries. The inaugural China-Central Asia summit is part of China’s broader aim to strengthen economic and political partnerships with like-minded countries, to counter what it sees as a U.S.-dominated world order. China has invested billions of dollars into the pipelines, highways and railways that help bring Central Asia’s rich reserve of natural resources into China. The summit is taking place in Xi’an, the city in central China that was a key stop on the ancient Silk Road trade route. China is hoping to gain an edge with Central Asian countries without angering Russia, while the U.S. is encouraging the Central Asian countries to resist providing economic aid to Russia in the face of Western sanctions. China is watching closely as a growing number of Western actors are wooing Central Asia, and the summit is a way for China to show its commitment to the region.
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