China’s Belt and Road trade with Central Asia surged to record levels in the first five months of 2025. Specifically, bilateral trade with the five Central Asian nations reached 286.42 billion yuan ($39.93 billion). That, in turn, marks a year-on-year growth of 10.4 percent, according to the General Administration of Customs. Moreover, officials said this expansion reflects deeper economic integration across the region. Overall, the Belt and Road trade continues to grow in both scale and strategic significance.
Notably, China launched the Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia, making the region key to its success. Over the past decade, China has steadily increased trade with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. As a result, trade with these countries rose from 312.04 billion yuan in 2013 to 674.15 billion yuan in 2024. That equals a growth rate of 116 percent over 11 years. Furthermore, the annual average increase of 7.3 percent outpaced China’s overall foreign trade growth.
In particular, agricultural trade has emerged as a major pillar of Belt and Road trade with Central Asia. For instance, China imported 4.36 billion yuan worth of farm goods from the region between January and May. That represents a 26.9 percent increase from the previous year. More specifically, imports of flaxseed from Kazakhstan jumped by 202.1 percent, while Uzbek raisins rose 153.7 percent. Notably, Kyrgyz honey exports grew more than tenfold during the same period.
Meanwhile, road transport improvements have also fueled the Belt and Road trade boom. In 2020, road transport accounted for just 19.9 percent of trade with Central Asia. However, by 2024, that share soared to 51.8 percent. In the first five months of 2025 alone, road-based trade totaled 143.65 billion yuan. That figure, consequently, rose 10.9 percent year-on-year and marked a majority share in total trade.
Going forward, China continues to upgrade cross-border infrastructure and streamline logistics routes. These efforts clearly reflect its long-term commitment to Belt and Road trade with Central Asia. Additionally, authorities see the region as vital for high-quality cooperation and strategic connectivity. Notably, agricultural and transport sectors remain central to this vision. As a result, trade volumes are expected to rise further in the coming years.
