This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic diplomacy of the People's Republic of China toward the countries of Central Asia in the context of regional cooperation, geo-economic interdependence, and the C5+China format. The purpose of the study is to identify the main instruments of China's economic diplomacy in Central Asia, the institutional mechanisms through which it is implemented, and its differentiated impact on the countries of the region. The methodological framework combines comparative institutional analysis, a structural-functional approach, content analysis of documentary sources, and the interpretation of secondary statistical data covering the period from 2013 to 2025.

The findings demonstrate that China's economic diplomacy in Central Asia is implemented through four key dimensions: the expansion of trade and logistics connectivity, the development of investment and infrastructure projects, the strengthening of energy and resource partnerships, and the promotion of multilateral institutional formats. The analysis reveals that Kazakhstan serves as a major transit and industrial partner for China, Uzbekistan functions as a strategic platform for industrial cooperation, and Turkmenistan remains a key partner in the energy sector. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are characterized by a high level of dependence on infrastructure development and external financing. Furthermore, the study shows that China's economic diplomacy has a significant influence on the foreign economic strategies of Central Asian states and on regional integration processes. The scientific novelty of the article lies in interpreting the C5+China format not merely as a supplementary platform to the Belt and Road Initiative, but as an independent mechanism of regional economic diplomacy that enhances the bargaining capacity of Central Asian countries and facilitates the management of asymmetric interdependence.