The rhythmic clatter of wheels on rail tracks echoed the fading tinkle of camel bells, heralding a renaissance of the ancient and timeless Silk Road, invigorated by blossoming cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

With the second China-Central Asia Summit having concluded in Astana, Kazakhstan earlier this week, both sides are seizing fresh opportunities for trade and economic cooperation, vowing to uphold multilateralism, consolidate the multilateral trading system, and deepen cooperation in key areas such as agriculture and energy.

Since the inaugural summit held two years ago in Xi'an, a historic city in northwest China, cooperation between China and Central Asia has drawn these land-linked economies closer to each other, yielding mutually beneficial outcomes across various sectors.

ENHANCED CONNECTIVITY

Xi'an, once a bustling gateway to the Silk Road, is witnessing the revival of this ancient trade route, with a recently launched international tourist train service making exchanges between China and Kazakhstan easier.

As a hallmark achievement of the 2023 summit, this 3,000-kilometer journey connects Xi'an in Shaanxi Province with Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. Traversing snow-capped mountains and vast grasslands, what makes this train route truly special is the opportunities it provides for cultural and artistic exchanges between the two countries. Such cultural interactions can, notably, also translate into valuable business opportunities.

During the train's maiden journey in 2025, Yuan Li, head of a Xi'an-based home furnishings company, immersed herself in Central Asian culture. She drew design inspiration from Kazakh embroidery to enrich her business options, saying that her company would invite artisans from both China and Kazakhstan to co-design a Silk Road-themed home collection.

This train route is one of many vivid examples of enhanced regional connectivity between China and Central Asian countries. In December 2024, the commencement ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was held in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan. The railway is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, serving as a strategic link between China and Central Asia.

Once completed, the railway will become a strategic corridor benefiting all the three countries and their peoples, contributing to regional economic and social development and playing a significant role in promoting infrastructure connectivity, economic and trade exchanges, and high-quality development of the Belt and Road.

On a broader scale, cooperation between China and Central Asia is bringing Asia and Europe closer together and at a faster pace, thanks to the China-Europe freight train service. This train service passes through cities like Almaty and Tashkent, transforming them into bustling transit hubs. It now reaches 229 cities in 26 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries.

Central Asia serves as a hub connecting China with the Eurasian continent, and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries has promoted connectivity in infrastructure, energy and trade, said Xu Xiaotian, a researcher with Heilongjiang University in northeast China. "Through economic integration, security collaboration and cultural exchanges, China and Central Asian nations are establishing a tighter network of cooperation," Xu said.

"China's cooperation with Central Asian countries contributes to mutual development and strengthens ties in science, education, culture and socio-economic fields, which are crucial for the stability, development, well-being and prosperity of the entire region," said Rashid Yusupov, director of the Center for Belt and Road Studies of Kyrgyz State University.

SHARED PROSPERITY

In March, a shipment of 16,000 apple seedlings from the city of Weinan, Shaanxi Province, entered Tajikistan through the Karasu Port in northwest China's Xinjiang. This marked the province's first-ever export of apple saplings to Tajikistan. Historically, Central Asia is one of the regions from which apples migrated to China.

According to Liu Zhanyuan, an official with Xi'an customs, these saplings will be planted in an apple orchard commemorating the friendship between China and Tajikistan. The orchard is a project to implement the outcomes of the 2023 China-Central Asia Summit.

"By sharing advanced apple cultivation techniques and management expertise with Tajikistan, the project will help local farmers improve apple yields and quality," Liu added.

The apple orchard project exemplifies the deepening ties between China and Central Asia, where cooperation across various sectors is translating into tangible economic benefits.

According to China's General Administration of Customs, China-Central Asia trade reached 94.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, marking an increase of 5.4 billion year on year. In the first four months of this year, bilateral trade hit 173.05 billion yuan (about 24.13 billion U.S. dollars), a 37.3-percent surge compared to the same period last year.

China and Central Asian countries have not only seen a significant increase in trade value but also expanded their economic cooperation into various sectors -- creating a comprehensive and multifaceted mutually beneficial economic relationship, Xu said.

Looking ahead to future cooperation between China and Central Asia, Li Ziguo, an expert with the China Institute of International Studies, said that driven by a new wave of technological revolution, digital economy and e-commerce are emerging as new growth areas for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

Moving forward, a series of big data cooperation projects will provide a more efficient and stable network environment for information exchange and resource sharing between China and Central Asian countries, thereby further unlocking digital dividends in areas such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and e-commerce, Li added. 

In response to a media inquiry regarding the draft UN Security Council resolution reportedly put forward by Russia, China, and Pakistan on the situation in Iran, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that the US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities constitutes a serious violation of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and has further intensified tensions in the Middle East. He stressed that the Security Council can't remain inactive in the face of such developments.

Guo noted that the draft resolution submitted by China, Russia, and Pakistan calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, the protection of civilians, compliance with international law, and the initiation of dialogue and negotiations, adding that the proposal represents a voice of justice and reflects the strong will of the international community. 

"China hopes all Security Council members will support the draft and work together to ensure that the Council fulfills its responsibility in maintaining international peace and security," said Guo.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Wednesday local time that China is "not behind" the US in artificial intelligence, and called the race in AI development a "long-term, infinite race," US media reported.

Speaking to reporters at a tech conference in Washington, DC, Huang noted China may currently be "right behind" the US for now, but emphasized it's a narrow gap, according to CNBC. 

"We are very close," Huang stated. "Remember, this is a long-term, infinite race."

His remarks came against the backdrop of the restrictions from the US government on shipments of Nvidia's H20 chips to China without a license. 

On April 15, the US Commerce Department announced new export licensing requirements for Nvidia's H20, AMD's MI308 AI chips, and their equivalents destined for China.

Nvidia stated that the latest curbs could cost the company $5.5 billion, according to CNBC. 

Speaking about Chinese tech company Huawei, Huang said that "They're incredible in computing and network technology, all these essential capabilities to advance AI."

"They have made enormous progress in the last several years," Huang added. 

Huang said on the same day he would like the Trump administration to change the regulations related to exporting AI technology from the US for businesses to better capitalize on future opportunities, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.

Huang recently wrapped up his second visit to Beijing in three months.

During his visit to Beijing on April 17, Huang stated that the US government's tightening of chip export controls has already had a significant impact on Nvidia's business. He was received by Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

With permission from Chinese side, the Philippines dispatched one civilian vessel on Friday to deliver daily necessities to its war ship that had illegally run aground on Ren'ai Jiao. The Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) questioned, verified the Philippine vessel and supervised the entire process, said the China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun, according to the CCG Wechat account on Tuesday. 

Liu expressed the hope that the Philippines will honor its commitments and work together with China to jointly manage the maritime situation. The CCG will continue to carry out law enforcement activities in accordance with the law, safeguarding rights and conducting patrols in the Nansha Qundao, including Ren'ai Jiao, and their adjacent waters.

The Nansha Qundao (the Nansha Islands), which include the Ren'ai Jiao, have always been China's territory.

In May 1999, the Philippines "grounded" the tank-landing ship BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) at Ren'ai Jiao. Despite Manila's repeated promise to tow it away, the ship has remained there for over 25 years, Xinhua said.