China’s support for Central Asia also appear to be a counter-weight to U.S. accusations of its coercive diplomacy. He did not mention Ukraine, which like the Central Asian nations, was part of the Soviet Union. “China is ready to help Central Asian countries improve their law enforcement, security, and defence capability construction,” he said. It will encourage Chinese-funded businesses in Central Asia to create more jobs, build warehouses, and launch a special train service aimed at promoting tourism, he added. “To bolster our cooperation and Central Asian development, China will provide Central Asian countries with a total of 26 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) of financing support and grants,” Xi said.
