By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-20 12:41:42 | Updated at 2025-03-21 00:32:42
12 hours ago
The European Union is seeking to expand its presence in other parts of the world, even as Russia and the United States try to marginalise it in a resolution of the Ukraine war. In Central Asia, the 27-nation bloc is often seen as a partner that regional actors can use to balance their relations with China. But is there anything Brussels can offer that Beijing cannot?
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Central Asia remained in Moscow’s geopolitical and geoeconomic orbit for decades. Over the years, however, China has managed to position itself as the region’s leading trade partner, outpacing Russia in economic importance.
In 2024, China’s overall turnover with Central Asia reached US$94.8 billion. In 2023, the world’s second largest economy replaced Russia as Kazakhstan’s biggest trade partner. It’s a similar story in neighbouring Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
In recent years, as a result of natural gas development, China has become the largest trading partner of energy-rich Turkmenistan. Although Ashgabat’s primary export market is China, Turkmenistan also aims to begin exporting gas to Europe.
Therefore, it was unlikely to have been just a coincidence that Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, started his visit to Central Asia in Turkmenistan on March 12. While it remains unclear if natural gas was on the agenda, reports suggest that the Global Gateway – the EU’s infrastructure investment strategy – and the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor would have been the major topics of discussion. Síkela visited the other Central Asian nations as well, probably in preparation for the upcoming EU-Central Asia summit scheduled for April 3 and 4 in Uzbekistan.
Amid the ongoing reconfiguration of the geopolitical order, the EU undoubtedly hopes to strengthen its economic and political ties with the region. But what are its goals in Central Asia?
