 [Twitter] China has offered a military and economic alliance to the Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union. On Friday, Xi Jinping met with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and offered them expanded cooperation, including in the defense sector.
The first face-to-face summit of the group, called China-Central Asia (C+C5), was held in Xi'an, the ancient Chinese capital where the famous "Silk Road" began in the past.
Following the talks, Xi said China was ready to "strengthen the defense" of the Central Asian republics and improve their security capabilities to "ensure peace in the region," state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
He also announced plans to provide 26 billion yuan ($3.6 billion) in financial support and "free aid," without specifying where the money would be used. In the near future, China is likely to resume joint military exercises with post-Soviet countries, including those involving Chinese internal troops, Temur Umarov, a researcher at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told the Financial Times.
Tajikistan, which borders not only China but also Afghanistan, could be of particular interest to Beijing, he said. Formerly influenced by the Kremlin, post-Soviet Asian countries are seeking to distance themselves from Russia, which has become "toxic" due to the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions. Kazakhstan, one of Russia's biggest trading partners in the former Soviet Union, refused to support the invasion of Ukraine and last year signed an intelligence-sharing agreement with NATO member Turkey.
In 2022, C5 trade with China amounted to $70.2 billion, up more than 40 percent year-on-year. China is the largest trading partner of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, the second largest for Kazakhstan and third largest for Tajikistan, according to official data. 
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