"Chinese President Xi Jinping invited the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan to discuss investments and the expansion of road, rail, and pipeline projects that link China to Europe, bypassing Russia, she said.

The summit, dubbed C+C5, will take place in May.

These five Central Asian countries have been Russia's vassals for decades, Francis notes.

"The reorientation of China's foreign policy is transformative: it further distances Beijing from Putin's 'borderless' partnership and significantly expands the range of soft power," she wrote.

"The goal is to secure trade and exploit resource opportunities in Central Asia and the Middle East. By pursuing such a policy, China is increasing its influence and elevating its status as the world's second-largest economic power,” she said.

“The new world order is now the G2, or the hegemony of the West against the hegemony of China."

Due to Russia's shameful war in Ukraine, the land trade corridor from China to Europe will shift to going exclusively through Central Asia and the Middle East, so dictator Vladimir Putin has essentially "cut Russia off from the global economy."

https://news.yahoo.com/china-ignoring-russia-economic-rivalry-162200154.html

1. China is, in reality, not competing with European countries. Rather,
it is at odd with Anglo-Saxon dominated world order. The US is trumpeting
China threat as a mean to keep its hegemonic domination over the world.

2. Brexit clearly informed the world that the UK is different from the rest of Europe such that it could not a part of the EU.

3. According to history, Russia is rightfully European as well as Asian. It is a matter of time that Russia would be welcomed back as a member of Europe.

4. Given that China and Russia are de facto allies, China has no reason not to strengthen its ties with the Central Asian countries.