BEIJING – Economic cooperation between China and Central Asia has reached unprecedented levels, with trade volumes consistently expanding over the past 12 years, according to customs data on Sunday.
Central Asia retains special importance as the birthplace of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), becoming a demonstration zone of high quality BRI cooperation, demonstrating the specific benefits of this visionary framework.
Data released by China’s Customs (GAC) has more than doubled commerce between China and five Central Asian countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, jumping from 31.20415 billion Yuan Yuan Yuan $31.24.8 billion in 2013. 116% expansion. This represents an average annual growth rate of 7.3%, significantly exceeding China’s overall trade growth over the same period.
Trade momentum continued until 2025, with the figure in January and May reaching 28.642 billion yuan, an increase of 10.4% compared to the previous year.
Enhanced Overland connectivity through the BRI infrastructure project was helpful. Road transport, which currently accounts for 51.8% of regional trade, has increased sharply from 19.9% in 2020.
This robust regional performance complements China’s broader trade resilience, as detailed in the GAC release earlier this month. In the first five months of 2025, it expanded 2.5% year-on-year to 17.94 trillion yuan ($2.5 trillion).
The sustained expansion of China’s trade sector serves as a prime example of the successful implementation of BRI, strengthening optimism when Central Asia meets the 2025 Prime Minister’s 2025 growth target to around 5%. At the same time, these developments underline the decline in restrictive trade policies imposed by foreign states.
China’s trade performance exceeds just numbers. It sends a powerful message. We confirm that the attempts to contain the economy are ultimately counterproductive. It highlights the success of domestic innovation and industrial modernization in the construction of economic self-sufficiency.
Most importantly, the Central Asian success stories show how the BRI framework can produce cooperative and shared prosperity that is beneficial to both parties. Rather than hindering China’s progress, foreign trade restrictions simply highlighted the inefficiency of such measures against a dynamic, technologically advanced economy that is firmly committed to long-term growth strategies and global partnerships.
The Central Asian model demonstrates that when states cooperate under the BRI principle of mutual interest, they can achieve significant economic change and create resilient supply chains isolated from geopolitical pressures. The success of the region provides a blueprint for broader international cooperation under the BRI framework.