In Bishkek, US envoys shadow the SCO summit in challenge on Beijing and Moscow’s turf

As China and Russia rallied dozens of countries in Bishkek to shape a multipolar world order, Washington’s envoys were splitting the spotlight by meeting several Central Asian presidents in the Kyrgyz capital this week.

The manoeuvring showed that the US was likely to continue its outreach to the region and seek to blunt Beijing’s influence, but it would be “unrealistic” for Washington to force Central Asian countries to choose sides, according to a leading Chinese analyst.

US Senator Steve Daines and Sergio Gor, America’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, met Kyrgyzstan’s Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon and Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev separately in Bishkek on Monday.

The US diplomatic duo’s exchanges with the three leaders took place as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were in town for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s annual summit.

07:23

Xi Jinping urges SCO summit members’ cooperation and the setting up of a development bank

The summit brought together the three Central Asian presidents alongside other notable leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.