Between 1996-1999, leaders of China, Russia and Kakakstan, Kirghistan and Tajikstan in Central Asia had four meetings respectively in Shanghai, Moscow, Alma-Ata and Bishkek. On April 25, 1996, during Russian President Yeltsin's visit to China, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Russian President Yeltsin, President Nazarbayev of Kazakstan, President Akayev of Kirghistan and President Rakhmonov of Tajikstan met in Shanghai and signed the Agreement on Enhancing Trust in the Military Fields among the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Tajikstan. This agreement is of great importance to both the security of the five countries and world peace and stability.

On April, 24, 1997 during President Jiang's visit to Russia, the heads of state of the five countries met in Moscow and signed the Agreement on Mutual Reduction of Military Forces along the Border Areas. This agreement which gives more substance to the Shanghai agreement signed in 1996 enhanced mutual trust on security among the five countries. During his meeting with the heads of state of the other four countries, President Jiang reiterated the principles guiding the development of China's relations with these countries. During his meeting with President Yeltsin, President Jiang said that China and Russia had left the past behind them and embarked on a broad path of all-round development for the 21st century. For China and Russia, each a major neighbor of the other, to become partners of strategic coordination, treat each as equals and trust each other and develop good neighborly relations and cooperation will no doubt promote the development and prosperity of both countries. It will directly benefit the two peoples and will be of far reaching historical importance to safeguarding their respective independence, sovereignty, national dignity and political rights and interests as well as to establishing a peaceful, stable, just and equitable new international order. When he met President Nazarbayev of Kazakstan, President Jiang stated that to develop long-term and stable friendly relations of cooperation with Kazakstan is an important part of China's good neighborly diplomacy. He hoped that China and Kazakstan would join hands and develop a partnership of full cooperation geared towards the 21st century. President Jiang also met President Akayev of Kirghistan and President Rakhmonov of Tajikstan.

At the invitation of President Nazarbayev of Kazakstan, President Jiang visited Kazakstan on July 3, 1998 and attended the five-country summit for the third time. President Jiang delivered an important speech entitled Uphold Peace and Stability and Promote Development and Prosperity in which he expounded China's stand on regional peace and development, the situation in South Asia and enhancing economic cooperation among the five countries and in the region. President Jiang pointed out that China is committed to promoting peace and development in the region and enjoys good cooperation with Russia and China's neighbors in Central Asia. He emphasized that to uphold and develop friendly cooperation among them, the five countries must continue to firmly oppose ethnic separatism, terrorism and smuggling of arms which jeopardize stability and security in the region. After the summit, the five foreign ministers signed the Alma-Ata Joint Statement. It was stressed in the joint statement that to enlarge and strengthen cooperation among the five countries meets the fundamental interests of the peoples of these countries and will contribute to stability, security, development and prosperity in both the region and the whole of Asia.

On August 24-26, 1999 President Jiang visited Bishkek, capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, to attend the fourth five-country summit. During the summit, he exchanged views with leaders of the other four countries on the international developments, regional security and regional economic cooperation. The summit further boosted the good neighborly relations and cooperation among the five countries. On August 25, the heads of the five countries signed the Bishkek Joint Statement. In the statement, the five countries reviewed with satisfaction the progress made in their cooperation since the Shanghai summit in 1996 and spoke highly of the steps they had taken for enhancing regional security and cooperation in keeping with the trends of the time. The five countries supported the concept of reviving the "silk road" in contemporary cooperation advanced by President Akayev of Kirghistan and reiterated that coordination among the five countries is open and not directed against other countries.