China and Russia compete for Central Asia’s favour

Central Asia’s top brass is on tour. On May 9th presidents of the region’s former Soviet republics were in Moscow, having been roped in as spectators for Vladimir Putin’s annual military parade. Ten days later, as g7 leaders gathered in Japan, it was Xi Jinping’s turn to play host, in Xi’an. At the first in-person meeting of a new group that China has dubbed the c+c5, he wooed Central’s Asia’s five leaders with a bonanza of investments, trade deals and knowledge transfers, to the tune of $3.8bn.