Uzbek workers assemble smartphones in a China-invested factory in Pengsheng Industrial Park in Sirdaryo Province, Uzbekistan, on April 17, 2014 (XINHUA)

Central Asia is not only the core region that witnessed the booming, prosperity and decline of the ancient Silk Road but also where Chinese President Xi Jinping first proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt to enhance connectivity among Eurasian countries in 2013. The belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, which connects China with Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and beyond, constitute China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Located along the ancient Silk Road, a trade route linking China and the West, Central Asian nations have a natural sense of intimacy and security in jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt with China. Moreover, the current economic development of most Central Asian countries has lagged behind due to poor infrastructure and an imbalanced and backward economic structure. These countries have a pressing need for urbanization, modernization and industrialization.

With their close proximity to China, the Belt and Road Initiative can help facilitate Central Asian countries' economic growth by supplying capital, production capacity and technologies, as well as sharing development experience. In fact, such cooperation is already taking place.

Sharing opportunities 

The Belt and Road Initiative is a mutually beneficial blueprint for regional development. Central Asian nations get financial and technical support from China, and their large reserve of energy and metal resources are valuable to the Chinese economy. The Central Asia region is of strategic importance to China's energy security as it is home to several major suppliers of China's west-east gas pipeline.

There is a clear gap between China and Central Asian countries in terms of development of agriculture and industries. As neighbors, the former can transfer some of its industrial knowledge to the region.

Central Asia is one of the birthplaces of agriculture. The region has fertile land and abundant fresh water resources. However, its economic development is relatively low and the majority of local population work in farming. For example, 80 percent of the 30 million people in Uzbekistan--the most populous Central Asian country--are engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. Meanwhile, young people account for more than 60 percent of the country's total population.

China has achieved initial success in transforming itself from an agricultural society to a modernized industrial economy. It has the experience and ability necessary to assist Central Asian countries in developing modern agriculture and light industries, such as textiles and leather garment processing, which can help speed up urbanization, increase employment and reduce the threat of a potential social and economic crisis.

Upgrading infrastructure  

Central Asia's infrastructure is largely weak. Its transportation, water, power supply and telecommunications facilities are inadequate. It is still rare to see expressways in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Their railway and highway networks are also underdeveloped. Transportation capabilities are weak with limited interconnectivity. Both the number and scale of airports in the region are small. Telecommunication and Internet penetration rates also remain low.

The region's lagging infrastructure is an opportunity for investors. Chinese companies have had a widespread presence in the Central Asian market and made great contributions to improvements in the region's infrastructure.

In Kyrgyzstan, dozens of Chinese companies are exploiting oil and gas resources, along with hydropower, and constructing roads and bridges. In the largest department store in the country's capital, Bishkek, which is also the largest in Central Asia, made-in-China products dominate the shelves.

Chinese companies are also active in all industries in Uzbekistan, including oil and gas development, road and railway construction, renovation of telecommunications facilities and building of Internet infrastructure.

In Tajikistan, almost all highways are built by Chinese contractors, and the toll gates are imported from China. The 5.2-km-long Shahristan Tunnel in the country, constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corp., is the longest road tunnel in Central Asia and also the longest tunnel built by a Chinese enterprise overseas. Moreover, it has helped Tajikistan remove one of its major development bottlenecks as the country can continue to transport goods from the north to the south in the winter, which was previously impossible because of ice and snow.

The Vahdat-Yovon Railway, which began construction in May, is another major project built by Chinese enterprises in Tajikistan. The line, consisting of three tunnels and five bridges, will connect the country's central area to the southern province of Khatlon. It will shorten the traveling distance between the two places by 152 km.

Cultural exchanges between China and Central Asian countries are also advancing smoothly. The number of young Chinese language learners in Central Asia is increasing every year with growing demand for translation and interpretation services. Additionally, several Confucius Institutes, which are non-profit institutions devoted to promoting Chinese language and culture abroad, have been launched in Central Asian countries. Moreover, with a growing number of outbound Chinese tourists, there is still great potential for Central Asian countries to expand their tourism markets and exploit their tourism resources.

Addressing challenges 

Nevertheless, Central Asian countries still face a poor entrepreneurial environment for attracting foreign investment. Their visa procedures are complicated with high expenses and foreign exchange restrictions are strict. In some countries, foreigners must register their accommodations every day; and sometimes, Customs officers are seen deliberately making things difficult for foreign travelers. These all show their inadequacies in operating under international convention, which also restricts the region's social and economic progress.

Surely, there are historical reasons for the current national situation in these countries. Central Asian countries have only had their independence for about 20 years after the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, and some of them experienced political turbulence in previous years. Because of their relatively isolated geographic location, it is understandable that they have slightly fallen behind international society as a whole.

However, with the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, common interests and a mutually beneficial future will gradually take shape in the region while elements that hinder development and social progress will be removed. Then, an open, friendly, prosperous and vigorous Central Asia will revive the glory of the ancient Silk Road to the world.

The author is an op-ed contributor to Beijing Review  and a commentator of international affairs 

Copyedited by Jordyn Dahl

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