U.S. Central Asia Strategy (-- years): Advancing Sovereignty and Economic Prosperity

Key Chapter Title List

1. Preface
2. Core Principles
3. Policy Objectives
4. Supporting and Strengthening the Sovereignty and Independence of Central Asian Countries
5. Reducing the Terrorist Threat in Central Asia
6. Expanding and Sustaining Support for Afghanistan's Stability
7. Promoting Connectivity Between Central Asia and Afghanistan
8. Advancing Rule of Law Reforms and Respect for Human Rights
9. Promoting U.S. Investment and Development in Central Asia
10. Global Multilateral Diplomacy
11. C5+1 Diplomatic Platform
12. Vision

Document Introduction

As one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, the United States has been committed for three decades to supporting the security, development, and prosperity of the Central Asian region. Central Asia, serving as a strategic and commercial crossroads of Eurasian civilization, has its stability and prosperity directly linked to core U.S. interests in combating terrorism, maintaining regional stability, ensuring energy security, and promoting global economic prosperity. This forms the core background of the "United States Strategy for Central Asia (2019-2025)."

This strategy inherits the fundamental assessment of key regional developments from the 2015 version, clearly stating that domestic and cross-border terrorism, radical extremism, illicit drug trafficking, and disinformation remain the primary threats to the stability of Central Asian countries. Simultaneously, based on the new regional situation—new leadership in various countries driving reforms, deepening intra-regional connectivity and cooperation, and the expanding potential for cooperation within the C5+1 platform—the strategy establishes six mutually reinforcing core policy objectives, forming a systematic strategic implementation framework.

Regarding the implementation foundation and cooperative measures, the United States has provided over 9 billion dollars in direct assistance to Central Asia and led multilateral development banks in providing more than 50 billion dollars in credit, loans, and technical support. Private sector investment has accumulated over 31 billion dollars. Furthermore, the United States has built robust people-to-people ties through more than 40,000 student and professional exchange programs, funded over 70 cultural heritage preservation projects, and strengthened regional security capabilities through military cooperation such as the Steppe Eagle joint exercises and the State Partnership Program. In the field of border security, over 90 million dollars has been invested, conducting more than 200 training sessions and establishing 13 operational border outposts.

The six strategic objectives specifically include: supporting the sovereignty and independence of Central Asian countries both individually and as a regional whole, enhancing regional cooperation and economic autonomy through projects like unified power grids; reducing the terrorist threat, building resilience against extremism, and strengthening law enforcement and border security capabilities; expanding support for Afghanistan's stability and promoting economic and trade links between Central Asian countries and Afghanistan; promoting connectivity between Central Asia and Afghanistan in energy, economy, security, and other fields, advancing projects like CASA-1000 and the Lapis Lazuli Corridor; advancing rule of law reforms and respect for human rights, strengthening civil society participation and government accountability; optimizing the business environment, promoting U.S. investment in Central Asia, and cultivating talent suited for the 21st-century economy through educational reforms.

The C5+1 diplomatic platform, as a core multilateral cooperation mechanism, brings together representatives from the five Central Asian countries and the United States to address common concerns. The United States has invested 34 million dollars in projects under this platform in the fields of security, economic connectivity, and the environment. The strategy emphasizes that regardless of the level of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, Central Asia remains a geostrategic area vital to U.S. national security interests. The United States will focus cooperation in areas of its comparative advantage, avoid creating regional dependency, and coordinate with like-minded partners to jointly promote regional reform and development.

The effective implementation of this strategy aims to foster Central Asia into a stable, secure, deeply connected, open, and inclusive region aligned with the United States. This will not only help Central Asian countries strengthen their economic and political sovereignty and regional cooperation capabilities but also advance U.S. national interests, the dissemination of its values, and the expansion of commercial opportunities, providing significant external impetus for the region's balanced development.