.webp)
Mark Temnycky said the United States must fortify its relationships with Central Asian countries as well as continue to visit Asia as tension with China grows, according to a report. Temnycky is a freelance journalist and non-resident fellow for the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council.
The Biden administration has made multiple visits to countries in the Indo-Pacific region recently, including Japan, India and Australia, according to Temnycky. Last month, leaders from Japan and South Korea met with President Joe Biden at Camp David to discuss strengthening their countries in light of the growing threat from China. Biden traveled to Vietnam recently. The meetings reinforce the Biden administration's 2022 ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which is intended to boost the relationships between the United States and Southeast Asian countries.
Temnycky said that while the partnerships and meetings may look as if the Biden administration is serious about Asia, it has "too often overlooked" the role that China plays in Central Asia, particularly with countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Central Asian nations played a pivotal role in managing the fallout from the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan; however, their significance in international security often goes unnoticed. A heightened Chinese presence in the region could grant China greater geopolitical leverage, particularly impacting mining opportunities and access to green technologies.
These Central Asian countries have historically sought support from Western nations, Temnycky said. Kazakhstan, for instance, collaborated with the U.S. in the 1990s to disarm a significant nuclear arsenal and safeguard nuclear materials. The current president of Kazakhstan has been supportive of relations with the United States. Temnycky notes that despite this support, no U.S. president has visited the area while both Russia and China have paid attention to the region intently. Earlier this year, President Xi Jinping attended a summit to discuss Chinese investment. Temnycky also said that with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China has been replacing Russia in Central Asia.
The United States can be doing more in the region, although the C5+1 Diplomatic Platform is a start, Temnycky said. The partnerships between Central Asian countries and the United States "often lack direct U.S. cabinet-level involvement, independent decision-making capacity and adequate funding," Temnycky said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, expressing the United States' commitment to assisting these nations in enhancing their security, economic prosperity and societal resilience. However, the Jackson-Vanik amendment hindered trade relations. Temnycky suggested repealing this through a congressional amendment. Temnycky also said the United States should encourage economic integration among the five Central Asian states and foster infrastructure development along the Caspian Sea.
Temnycky said the region has made significant progress in nuclear disarmament, with the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty established under Nursultan Nazarbayev's leadership. Collaborating with U.S. officials, these nations are working to prevent nuclear materials from falling into non-state actors' hands, exemplified by Kazakhstan's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency to establish a low-enriched uranium bank in 2019. The United States has involved Central Asian countries in the State Partnership Program, which focuses on defense reform and humanitarian assistance. To bolster security cooperation, the U.S. should seize the upcoming C5+1 summit in September and build on these existing partnerships, as missing these opportunities could lead to further Chinese influence in the region.
