ASSESSMENTS

Central Asia's Economic Evolution From Russia To China

Apr 5, 2018 | 17:45 GMT

Snow covers a street in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Dec. 27, 2017.

Snow covers a street in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Dec. 27, 2017.

(VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Central Asia has restructured its economic links over the past decade, as China has outpaced Russia in the region on trade, investment and infrastructure development.
  • Russia maintains its influence in Central Asia, however, and China so far has been careful to make sure its economic initiatives in the region largely complement Moscow's interests.
  • While China and Russia have worked to mitigate potential differences in Central Asia, several factors potentially could cause problems between Moscow and Beijing in the years to come.

Central Asia has undergone a significant economic transformation in recent years as trade and investment in the region have shifted away from Russia and toward China. Russia remains a major economic force in Central Asia, and China's rise in the region complements its interests in many ways -- or at least doesn't directly contradict them. But Central Asia's growing economic dependence on China and Beijing's increasing political and security influence in the region could foster increased tensions between the two powers....

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