(ANSA) - BEIJING, JANUARY 26 - China is ready to provide aid for 500 million dollars to the countries of Central Asia: this is what President Xi Jinping assured, who yesterday met the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in virtual mode and Uzbekistan to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Xi said China "will strongly support them while safeguarding sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," according to official media reports, outlining plans to send an additional 50 million doses of Covid vaccine.
Central Asian leaders said they will participate in the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, scheduled for February 4.
Of the five countries, China's top priority is Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest neighbor, rich in resources, but which has come under the spotlight due to turmoil sparked by rising fuel prices.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of national emergency on January 5, requesting assistance from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization on the same day. Troops, mostly from Moscow, arrived in the country on 6 January. Xi's message to Tokayev, with the offer of "necessary support to the best of China's capacity", arrived the next day, making it opportune - according to observers - a recovery of maneuver. Kazakhstan shares a 1,700 km border with China, in particular the Xinjiang region, home to the Uyghur Muslim minority, which ended up in the Beijing squeeze. China has made it a priority to ensure stability in Kazakhstan, both for economic reasons and to prevent Islamic extremists from crossing the border with Xinjiang:Chinese investments in Kazakhstan amounted to 29.4 billion dollars until the end of 2019 and there are more than 1,000 Chinese companies operating there.
(HANDLE).