B5+1 2026: Central Asia in America’s Economic Diplomacy
- Adrián De los Santos Bonilla
- 10 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
On the 4th and 5th of February 2026, the United States of America and the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan convened at the second B5+1 Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. This forum follows in the footsteps of the C5+1 framework, a diplomatic initiative aimed at strengthening ties between Central Asia and the United States. The latter has included the B5+1 Forum in its regional strategic vision as a core summit to increase economic exchanges and American leadership in the region through economic diplomacy. The forum is co-hosted not only by the Kyrgyz government, but also by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), a non-profit organisation affiliated with the United States of America (USA). Chamber of Commerce and co-host of the forum, emphasising its connection with the private sector (Center for International Private Enterprise, 2026).
On November 6th, 2025, the second C5+1 summit attended by an American president was held in Washington, D.C. This meeting marked the format's tenth anniversary and served as a diplomatic demonstration of renewed American interest in the region's economic and security status. Similar to Obama’s pivot to Asia, Trump’s efforts to elevate the meeting to a high political level sought to lay the groundwork for broader engagement with the countries involved. Eventually, the tone shifted from diplomacy to the economy, with the aim of producing specific partnerships and economic agreements. The agenda was intended to build on the achievements of the previous C5+1 2015 summit and focused on critical minerals and supply chains.
Since then, future projects and financing have totalled $50 billion, and $25 billion in business deals have been announced. In this context, the role of economics as a central pillar of the US presence in the area can be explained by the acquired relevance of the B5+1 (Abdullayev, 2025).
B5+1 and Business Diplomacy in Central Asia
In a dynamic international order, Central Asia has evolved into a key strategic region where global powers adamantly seek to project their influence. Russia has maintained its traditional role as a security partner whose economic ties rely on the infrastructure sector, but the war in Ukraine has seen its leverage begin to fade. China has thus taken over as the region’s dominant economic partner, with growing investment and trade driven by initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative. Western actors have also exhibited their interest in the region. For example, the European Union (EU) is actively deepening its connectivity and partnerships with Central Asian nations, as evidenced by the signing of extensive EPCAs and initiatives such as the Global Gateway. Furthermore, the USA is engaging with the region in an open contest against Chinese economic hegemony. In this context, the B5+1 Forum serves as a tool to counter the Chinese influence and promote the business integration between the Central Asian republics and the USA. (Pomfret, 2025)
The B5+1 Forum constituted the economic and private-sector pillar of the broader C5+1 diplomatic framework. While the C5+1 focused on government-to-government dialogue, the B5+1 focuses on deepening economic engagement by bringing together business, investors, and policymakers to identify trade and investment opportunities and enhance regional cooperation and economic development.
The B5+1 forum focused on strategically important sectors for both the USA and Central Asia. At the latest summit, the areas were infrastructure development, energy, logistics, and critical minerals. Those areas showcase the growing significance of Central Asia in global supply chains at a time when governments and companies struggle to diversify production networks and minimise their reliance on single suppliers.
Two broad sectors were extensively discussed during the two days of the B5+1 Forum: e-commerce and IT, and transport and logistics. Common problems were identified that prevent proper economic integration, while ongoing issues in transnational exchanges persist: increasing costs, inefficient trade, and time delays. By bringing governments and private actors together, the B5+1 Forum aspires to build a platform to discuss and advance regional partnerships, regulatory reforms, and investment projects.
CIPE is at the forefront of the market-oriented reforms and private-sector development economic diplomacy promoted by the forum, which is entrusted to American interests. CIPE advocates enhancing institutions that facilitate international trade and investment through a wide range of programmes focusing on governance, business associations, and entrepreneurship. Its involvement reflects the increasing importance of private-sector actors in shaping US economic engagement with Central Asia (Kwan, 2026).
Altogether, the B5+1 represents a more general trend in U.S. foreign economic policy, which relies on American companies and organisations to promote economic cooperation abroad. In this sense, the forum serves as a mechanism to attract investment to Central Asia and to integrate the region into global markets. The specific measures were outlined in the Final Communique presented at the end of the summit, which mentions the six main areas of discussion: agriculture, the financial and banking sector, critical minerals, e-commerce and information technology, tourism, and transport and logistics. Nonetheless, the paper also highlights the participating countries' desire to translate the dialogue and recommendations into measures that enable the interconnectivity of Central Asian markets with the United States (CIPE, 2026).
B5+1 and the European Union
Despite the B5+1 Forum being a US-led initiative, its implications extend far beyond and illustrate the new approach to Central Asia. The EU seeks to extend its influence in the region and increase trade in key sectors like energy, with initiatives including the Global Gateway. In this context, the B5+1 Forum showcases the shift in foreign policy by Western actors. Security has been replaced by economic engagement through programmes and partnerships, both proposed by the EU and the USA, with the expectation that their influence will exceed that of China and Russia.
Central Asia’s relevance is underlined by initiatives such as the B5+1 Forum. The EU is trying to establish its strategic autonomy in a crucial period of crisis for the global order. European policymakers face the challenge of ensuring that European efforts stand out to the Central Asian republics within the broader geopolitical landscape (Pomfret, 2025).
Conclusion
The B5+1 Forum illustrates a broader trend in the USA’s engagement with Central Asia. Through such an event, economic diplomacy and private-sector partnerships are shaping regional investment and connectivity. From the USA’s perspective, the initiative has become a mechanism to boost its economic ties, while Central Asian governments find an opportunity to balance their dependency on foreign powers. Nonetheless, the B5+1 faces several limitations. While the last C5+1 summit managed to deliver multiple arrangements, the B5+1 remains a platform for dialogue and has not translated economic discussions into specific projects that would require political commitment, regulatory reforms, and regional cooperation.
Moreover, the strength of China’s economic influence in the region and its longstanding ties with Russia further limit the forum’s ability to foster new regional economic dynamics. Eventually, the growing international attention to Central Asia, represented by the B5+1, its consequences and its long-term impact, will depend on the capacity to transform dialogue into tangible economic cooperation, benefiting both external partners and the region itself.
This article represents the views of contributors to STEAR's online digital publication, and not those of STEAR, which takes no institutional positions.
REFERENCES
Abdullayev, I. (2025). The C5+1 investment push: Marketing U.S.–Central Asia economic partnerships. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17785435.
Center for International Private Enterprise. (2026, February 5). 2026 B5+1 forum advances U.S.–Central Asia business agendas. https://www.cipe.org/blog/2026/02/05/2026-b51-forum-advances-u-s-central-asia-business-agendas/.
Center for International Private Enterprise. (2026, February 5). B5+1 Forum Bishkek 2026: Advancing Economic Cooperation between Central Asia and the United States of America. https://mailchi.mp/cipe/building-resilient-economies-through-market-drivern-investment-6676830.
Kwan, S. (2026, February 4). Bishkek to host second B5+1 forum of Central Asia and the U.S. The Times of Central Asia. https://timesca.com/bishkek-to-host-second-b51-forum-of-central-asia-and-the-u-s/.
Pomfret, R. (2025, December 31). Central Asia balances growth and great powers. East Asia Forum. https://eastasiaforum.org/2025/12/31/central-asia-balances-growth-and-great-powers/
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