Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking China's resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia.
I'll be away for the next few weeks, so this is the last newsletter until mid-October. Until then, I'm RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish and here's what I'm following right now.
China And The UN General Assembly
World leaders have gathered in New York for the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) under the shadow of global conflict as wars rage in the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan, and elsewhere.
Here's what's on China's radar so far and what could play out as UNGA continues.
Finding Perspective: While the gathering began with the adoption of an ambitious document called the Pact for the Future, which contains a series of pledges to improve development, fight climate change, and take more sustained action toward ending conflicts -- among other measures -- the mood is not particularly optimistic at the UN.
In his opening speech, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "Our world is heading off the rails, and we need tough decisions to get back on track."
U.S. President Joe Biden, in his last speech as president before the assembly, called for countries to band together amid the spiraling conflict in the Middle East, Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, and rising concerns about China's growing influence.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in New York as Beijing's highest-ranking official and used his remarks on September 23 at the Summit of the Future to stress China's position as a rival power to the United States and its role in leading shifts to the current global order.
"We need to build an equal and orderly, multipolar world and defend the UN-centered international system. The international order is based on international law and the basic norms of international relations, underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," Wang said.
China's top diplomat will also address the General Assembly on September 28.
What To Watch: Israel carried out air strikes against Hezbollah sites in Lebanon this week, which Lebanese authorities said had killed hundreds of people and sent tens of thousands fleeing for safety.
Wang already met with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on the sidelines of the gathering and strongly condemned violations after Israel's large-scale strikes while saying Beijing firmly supported Lebanon.
Wang then said China has been working for peace in the Middle East and will continue to work with Arab countries and the international community.
Things were much more tense when Wang met with his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, where she demanded a clearer explanation of the circumstances behind the recent stabbing death of a Japanese boy in China.
Kamikawa asked that Beijing strongly punish the alleged perpetrator and that officials should also crack down on anti-Japanese comments online. Wang called the attack an "isolated incident" whose motive is unclear.
Elsewhere, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva touted a joint Chinese-Brazilian proposal during his September 24 speech to the assembly that calls for talks to begin between Russia and Ukraine to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has already rejected the proposal as "destructive" but the Brazilian leader still said his foreign policy adviser Celso Amorim will seek support for the plan from representatives of 20 countries later this week in New York.
Why It Matters: Beijing has been flexing its muscles at the UN for years to block and stymie Western initiatives as its international stature has grown, and now China is throwing its newfound superpower weight around, as well.
And with Washington taking a more hawkish stance against China in general, and especially lately due to its support for Moscow's war in Ukraine, the dividing lines have only become starker.
Beijing has sold itself as leader of the so-called Global South and through policies like the Belt and Road Initiative has aimed to offer the world's less-developed countries an alternative, non-Western model for growth and progress.
That strategy has led to widespread influence within the UN General Assembly, with strong pro-China diplomatic support coming from African nations, Central Asia, and parts of Latin America.
The current General Assembly also comes as Washington finds itself increasingly isolated from large portions of the Global South over its votes to protect Israel at the UN as the war in Gaza escalates.
Three More Stories From Eurasia
1. Central Asia's Big Project Trickles Ahead
Kyrgyzstan announced it will allocate 11 billion som (roughly $130 million) from its state budget for the construction of the high-profile China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, my colleague Ernest Nurmatov from RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.
What It Means: The announcement of new funds is an important step for the long-planned rail line, but the amount announced still falls below the $573 million Bishkek is expected to contribute toward its share of construction costs.
China announced the project would move ahead during a summit in May 2023 with Xi Jinping and Central Asian leaders. According to the agreements signed between Beijing, Bishkek, and Tashkent, China enjoys a controlling interest in the project, responsible for 51 percent of construction costs. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan each have a 24.5 percent share.
However, questions remain over when and how Bishkek will allocate the remaining $443 million it will need to contribute for its section of the railway, especially given previous statements that construction could begin as soon as October.
2. Uzbekistan's Cotton Industry Looks To China
Uzbek officials are touting high yields in their cotton fields thanks to new technology and expertise brought from China, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports.
The Details: Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev said an agricultural pilot program that aimed to experiment with different ways of growing cotton has brought encouraging results, with methods and equipment from China proving to be cost-efficient while still improving the quality of the crop.
The main advantage brought from the imported expertise is water-saving and energy-efficient benefits that the new equipment was reportedly able to contribute.
Uzbek Agriculture Minister Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov said Tashkent is satisfied with the results of the pilot project and now plans to expand it to cotton crops across the country.
3. More Joint Naval Drills In The Pacific
A detachment of warships of Russia's Pacific Fleet and the Chinese Navy entered the Sea of Okhotsk in the western Pacific as part of joint naval exercises on September 24.
What You Need To Know: Russia said earlier that it was starting the joint Russian-Chinese Beibu/Interaction 2024 naval exercise that would include anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons.
The Sea of Okhotsk in the western Pacific Ocean is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, and Japan's island of Hokkaido to the south.
The exercises follow a round of large-scale naval and air joint exercises in the Pacific and other oceans earlier this month.
The joint drills, which are increasingly taking place in new locations around the world, have alarmed the West and its allies like Japan. On September 23, Japan said Russia violated its airspace with a patrol plane.
Across The Supercontinent
Up and Running: China's Linglong tire factory, one of the premier investments under way in Serbia, is now operating one of its three plants, RFE/RL's Balkan Service reports.
The Homeland: In 2024, 12,325 ethnic Kazakhs born outside Kazakhstan have moved to the country, according to official statistics.
The largest share of those arrivals -- 45.6 percent -- came from China, followed by Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, and Russia.
Middle Corridor Boost: With traffic along the Eurasian trade route growing, Kazakhstan and China are set to launch a new container hub in Aktau, where one of the key ports for the Caspian Sea is located.
South Asian Expansion: Chinese electric-car giant BYD is expected to announce a new manufacturing hub in Pakistan, the Financial Times reports, which would be the automaker's first venture into South Asia.
One Thing To Watch
The death of Liu Wenjie, the finance chief of Hunan Province, by falling has triggered a flurry of speculation in China.
Liu's body was found outside her apartment building in Changsha last week and police say she was killed by two men who also happened to fall to their deaths from the building.
Amid an unconvincing official story for the turn of events, the case has captured the public imagination in China, even as censors work to delete online chatter. The case also adds to a growing list of deaths and disappearances that have set China's rumor mill into overdrive.
Zhu Hengpeng, a top economist who served as deputy director of the Institute of Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) for around a decade, has vanished from public life since criticizing Xi's policies. High-profile cases last year involving China's defense and foreign minister have also captured international headlines and sparked speculation about behind-the-scenes power struggles.
That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have.
Until next time,
Reid Standish
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