Xi is in Bishkek for SCO summit. How does bloc fit China’s Eurasian strategy 25 years on?

As the United States refocuses its strategic interests, Beijing's growing influence in Central Asia is drawing attention as Kyrgyzstan hosts the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit this week. Scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, the SCO's 25th anniversary summit is expected to highlight whether the group can move beyond diplomatic signaling towards shared goals.

The agenda includes regional security, connectivity, energy, and digital cooperation, while also addressing broader challenges such as Iran, Afghanistan, and food security. Last year, China became the largest trading partner of the SCO's five original member states, with bilateral trade reaching a historical high of US$106 billion.

Analysts believe China's increasing presence in Central Asia is a response to shifting global dynamics, with the SCO serving as a crucial platform for Beijing to project power and build consensus. Beijing's top priority in the region is security, focusing on ensuring stability along its western border and broader regional security concerns.

While trade figures reveal a significant expansion of commercial ties, analysts caution against overestimating the region's economic importance, emphasizing Central Asia's strategic value lies in its geographic location as a bridge between China, Russia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. Infrastructure projects, such as the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, are crucial to this vision, connecting China with Central Asia and the wider world, despite security concerns along the route.