CHINESE President Xi Jinping promised today to build more railway and other trade links with central Asia and proposed jointly developing oil and gas sources.

He was speaking at a meeting with regional leaders that highlighted the growing reach of Beijing’s “win-win co-operation” agenda across much of the developing world.

The two-day China-Central Asia summit in the western Chinese city of Xi’an coincided with US President Joe Biden and other leaders of the Group of Seven major economies meeting in Japan. 

It reflected Beijing’s efforts to develop trade and security networks centred on China to counter the United States’ longstanding global dominance.

China is helping to develop the economic infrastructure of central Asia, including through its Belt and Road Initiative to build railways and other trade-related projects. 

This has eroded Russian influence over former Soviet republics that look to the world's second-largest economy as an important market and source of investment.

“We need to expand economic and trade ties,” Mr Xi said in a speech to leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

In a swipe at Western leaders, he called for the region to “resolutely oppose external interference” and “attempts to instigate ‘colour revolutions’,” a reference to the movements that overthrew governments in countries such as Ukraine and Georgia.

China has accused the US and its allies of abetting agitation in the western region of Xinjiang, which is home to predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups that have ties to central Asia.

The Chinese president promised to increase cross-border trade by developing highways and railway lines and encouraging China’s trading companies to set up warehouses in central Asia. He also pledged to simplify import procedures.

Mr Xi has proposed the establishment of a China-Central Asia partnership to develop oil and gas sources. 

He said yesterday that Beijing wanted to speed up construction of an additional pipeline to supply central Asian gas to China’s energy-hungry economy and to promote nuclear power.

Mr Xi promised Chinese help for central Asian governments to strengthen security and defence and to fight terrorism, also pledging to “jointly promote peace” in Afghanistan.

Beijing had earlier announced plans for a regional anti-terrorism centre to train central Asian security forces.

China sees the rise of Islamist extremism as a threat across the region, including in Xinjiang.

Mr Xi told the summit that the participating countries should all “remain zero-tolerant to the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism.”