Politik International

China in Central Asia. Cooperation Dimensions and Implications

Relations between China and Central Asian countries are multidimensional and steadily progressing: Strategic partnerships are expanding both at the government level as well as in practice. Economic cooperation is strengthening, infrastructure projects are developing, and people-to-people ties are gradually improving. In addition to the formation of institutional structures, China is promoting semi-institutional initiatives such as the Global Security Initiative in order to gradually expand its role as a security partner, which will increase its influence in regional security matters. While China's growing presence offers economic opportunities for Central Asian countries, it also raises question about debt dependencies, geopolitical realignments, and the import of authoritarianism. To counter this, the West needs to develop a comprehensive approach to engage with Central Asia through a combination of economic incentives, expansion of current projects and support for democratic governance in the region.

China's influence in Central Asia, a region that is still evolving and not homogeneous, is correspondingly difficult to interpret or frame in a single way. Geographically, the region is of strategic importance to China in terms of its own security considerations, in particular with regard to the Xinjiang region, which lies at the crossroads of Central Asia and East Asia. Economically speaking, China and Central Asia are linked through close economic, energy and infrastructure ties. China is a major trading partner and an important investor for Central Asian countries, including in the implementation of mega projects.
The changing geopolitical landscape, in particular the Russian invasion of Ukraine, further complicates the nature of their interaction. Against this backdrop, analyzing the cooperation between the Central Asian region and China along different dimensions can provide a better understanding of their recent dynamics. The following analysis therefore concentrates on Chinese connectivity and infrastructure projects to enhance economic cooperation with Central Asia as well as on security partnerships, political advances and social programs implemented by China to assert its influence in the region.