China seeks to cement ties with Central Asia as G7 discusses plans to counter Beijing’s ‘economic coercion’
- President Xi Jinping is meeting the heads of five countries in a major diplomatic initiative that will run in parallel to the G7 gathering in Japan
- US officials say they will discuss plans for a tougher stance against Beijing as it seeks to challenge the US-led global order
China promised to strengthen its economic ties with Central Asia on Thursday a day before it is expected to be targeted at the Group of Seven summit in Japan.
The two-day summit is the first in-person gathering of its kind since Beijing established diplomatic relations with the five newly independent countries in 1992 and will run in parallel with the G7 meeting in Japan.
US officials told Reuters last week that the leaders of the seven advanced economies would discuss ways of countering Chinese “economic coercion” as part of wider plans to take a tougher stance towards Beijing as it seeks to challenge the US-led global order.
The leaders of the Central Asian countries expressed support for deeper Chinese engagement in the region as they increasingly look to Beijing as an alternative trade and security partner to Russia as its war in Ukraine grinds on.