Comparison of the Economic Relations of Russia and China with Central Asian Countries
https://doi.org/10.53658/RW2021-1-1-52-66
Abstract
Central Asia (CA) is one of the key regions in the foreign policy of the Russian Federation (RF) and the People Republic of China (PRC). The interaction of the countries of CA with RF and PRC, the Russian and Chinese involvement in the affairs of the region have inherent characteristics. The significance of the region and its specific states for Russia and China differ, as well as the nature of the relationship of this large group of actors with each other and the rest of the world. This paper analyzes the main directions of the relations of CA with the RF and PRC using an integrated, systemic, comparative-comparative and interdisciplinary approaches. Authors note, that the economic relations of the countries of region with Russia and China are diverse, multi-dimensional and multi-format. They identify and discuss the following key issues: (1) economic and geographical isolation of Central Asia, as well as a number of territories of Russia and China; (2) raw-resource orientation of most economies of the region; (3) weak economic integration in CA, as well as within the framework of concrete key institutions; (4) asymmetry of economic development of Russia and China. It is indicated that it is precisely the solution of strategic tasks that can and should become the main incentive for building mechanisms of multifaceted and full-fledged cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral levels, not only between Central Asia and China, but also between Central Asia and the Russia. This should facilitate the process of regional and interregional economic integration in the interior of the continent to a qualitatively new level, initiate the formation of sustainable institutional framework designed to ensure integrated security (economic, political, social and other) and the progressive development of Eurasia.
About the Authors
M. A. Rakhimov
Uzbekistan contemporary history center of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Mirzokhid Akramovich RAKHIMOV – DSc (Hist.), Professor, head of department.
70 Y. Gulomov str., Tashkent, 100047
V. V. Paramonov
Uzbekistan contemporary history center of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Vladimir Vladimirovich PARAMONOV – PhD (Polit.), doctoral student, director of the Central Eurasia Analytical Group.
70 Y. Gulomov str., Tashkent, 100047
References
1. Alimov, R.M., Arifhanov, Sh.R., Rizaev, S.R. and Tolipov, F.F. (2002), Central Asia: Geoeconomics, geopolitics, secutiry [Tsentral’naya Aziya: geoekonomika, geopolitika, bezopasnost], Tashkent (in Russian).
2. Arvis, J.-F., Raballand, G. and Marteau, J.-F. (2010), The Cost of Being Landlocked: Logistics Costs and Supply Chain Reliability, World Bank, available at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/2489 (accessed 22.11.2020).
3. Auelbaev, B.A. (2016), Central Asia – 2020: four strategic concepts [Tsentral’naya Aziya – 2020: chetyre strategicheskikh kontsepta], Astana (in Russian).
4. Blank, S. (2017), “China in Central Asia: The Hegemon in Waiting?”, Eurasia in Balance: The US and the Regional Power Shift, pp. 149-182.
5. Blank, S. (2021), Central Asia and the Great Powers After Afghanistan, Tillotoma Foundation, India.
6. Blank, S. and Kim, Y. (2016), “Does Russo-Chinese Partnership Threaten America’s Interests in Asia?”, Orbis, No. 60 (1), pp. 112-127.
7. Brzezinski, Z. (1997), The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and its Geostrategic Imperatives, Basic Books, NY.
8. Central Asia Human Development Report, Bringing down barriers: Regional cooperation for human development and human security (2005), UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, available at: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/central_asia_2005_en.pdf (accessed: 20.03.2021).
9. Chufrin, G.I. (2010), Russia in Central Asia [Rossiya v Tsentral’noi Azii], KAZISS under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty (in Russian).
10. Cornell, S.E. and Swanström, N. (2020), Compatible Interests? The EU and China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies.
11. Faisal, J. (2021), “Impact of Sino-Russia Cooperation and Competition on Central Asia after 9/11: An analytical study”, Journal of European Studies, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 80-91.
12. Fan, X. (2018), Russian-Chinese cooperation in regional security in Central Asia: mechanisms and strategies: Author’s thesis [Vzaimodeistvie Rossii i Kitaya v sfere regional’noi bezopasnosti v Tsentral’noi Azii: mekhanizmy i strategii: avtoref. dis.], Moscow (in Russian).
13. Hurley, J., Morris, S. and Portelance G. (2018), “Examining the Debt Implications of the Belt and Road Initiative from a Policy Perspective”, CGD Policy Paper, Center for Global Development, Washington DC.
14. Ikromov, D.Z. (2019), International migration from Central Asian countries to Russia: an assessment of the impact on socio-economic development [Mezhdunarodnaya migratsiya iz stran Tsentral’noi Azii v Rossiyu: otsenka vliyaniya na sotsial’noekonomicheskoe razvitie], Dushanbe (in Russian).
15. Kara-Murza, S.G. (2002), The White Paper. Economic Reforms in Russia 1991-2001 [Belaya kniga, Ekonomicheskie reformy v Rossii 1991-2001], Moscow (in Russian).
16. Karytskaya, I.M., Sitnikova, Y.V. and Markasova, O.A. (2017), “Trade relations between Russia and China are key strategic initiatives”, International Research Journal [“Torgovye otnosheniya Rossii i Kitaya – klyuchevye strategicheskie initsiativy”, Mezhdunarodnyi nauchno-issledovatel’skii zhurnal], No. 2 (56), part 3, pp. 24-28 (in Russian).
17. Kazakhstan: Country Report (2003 - 2008), The Economist Intelligence Unit, available at: https://www.eiu.com.
18. Kazantsev, A.A., Zjagelskaya, I.D., Kuzmina, E.M. and Luzyanin, S.G. (2016), “Prospects for cooperation between Russia and China in Central Asia”, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) [“Perspektivy sotrudnichestva Rossii i Kitaya v Tsentral’noi Azii”, Rossiiskii sovet po mezhdunarodnym delam (RSMD)], No. 28 (in Russian).
19. Kyrgyzstan: Country Report (2003 - 2008), The Economist Intelligence Unit, available at: https://www.eiu.com.
20. Lifan, L. and Shiu, D. (2004), “Geopolitical interests of Russia, the USA and China in Central Asia” [“Geopoliticheskie interesy Rossii, SShA i Kitaya v Tsentral’noi Azii”], Central Asia and the Caucasus, Sweden, No. 3, pp. 161-168 (in Russian).
21. Luzyanin, C.G. (2018), Russia – China: Shaping a New World [Rossiya – Kitai: formirovanie obnovlennogo mira], Moscow (in Russian).
22. Maleva, Т.M. (2019), Monthly monitoring of the socio-economic situation and well-being of the population: 2015 – April 2019 [Ezhemesyachnyi monitoring sotsial’no-ekonomicheskogo polozheniya i samochuvstviya naseleniya: 2015 – aprel’ 2019], Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Moscow.
23. Molnar, E. and Ojala, L. (2003), “Transport and Trade facilitation Issues in the CIS 7”, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan: paper for the Lucerne Conference of the CIS-7 Initiative, 20-22 January 2003.
24. Naumkin, V.V., Zvyagelskaya, I.V., Voiko, E.V., Grozin, A.V., Korgun, V.G., Kuzmina, E.M., Malysheva, D.B., Pritchin, S.A. and Kheifets, B.A. (2013), “Russia’s interests in Central Asia: Perspective, Content, Limitations”, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) [“Interesy Rossii v Tsentral’noi Azii: soderzhanie perspektivy, ogranichiteli”, Rossiiskii sovet po mezhdunarodnym delam (RSMD)], No. 10 (In Russian).
25. Plastinina, L.I. and Korzin, N.S. (2020), “Railway transport in the transport system on the eve of the collapse of the USSR”, The History and Prospects of Transport Development in the North of Russia [“Zheleznodorozhnyi transport v transportnoi sisteme nakanune raspada SSSR”, Istoriya i perspektivy razvitiya transporta na severe Rossii], No. 1, pp. 62-64 (in Russian).
26. Rauf, S. (2017), “Changing Geopolitical Dynamics in Central Asia: Causes and Effects”, Strategic Studies (Islamabad), Vol. 37, No. 17, pp. 149-165.
27. Sachdeva, G. (2018), “Indian Perceptions of the Chinese Belt & Road Initiative”, International Studies, Vol. 55, No. 4, pp. 285-296.
28. Sinitsina, I. (2012), Economic interaction between Russia and the Central Asian countries: trends and prospects [Ekonomicheskoe vzaimodeistvie Rossii i stran Tsentral’noi Azii: tendentsii i perspektivy], Higher School of Development, Institute of Public Administration and Policy, University of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan), report 5 (in Russian).
29. Siroezhkin, K.L. (2006), Problems of modern China and security in Central Asia [Problemy sovremennogo Kitaya i bezopasnost’ v Tsentral’noi Azii], Almaty (in Russian).
30. Sultanov, B.K. (2019), One Belt – One Way initiative and the prospects for socio-economic and socio-political development of the countries of Central Asia [Initsiativa ‘Odin poyas i odin put’’ i perspektivy sotsial’no-ekonomicheskogo i obshchestvenno-politicheskogo razvitiya stran Tsentral’noi Azii], University of Kazakhstan-Germany Research Institute for International and Regional Cooperation, Almaty (in Russian).
31. Tajikistan: Country Report (2003 - 2008), The Economist Intelligence Unit, available at: https://www.eiu.com.
32. The Future of Nation-States (2017), Conference Report. Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies, Herat, Afghanistan, available at: https://www.aiss.af/assets/aiss_publication/3fbf86ad784a0c62fd38e49b38832b7a.pdf.
33. Turkmenistan: Country Report (2003 - 2008), The Economist Intelligence Unit, available at: https://www.eiu.com.
34. Uyama, T. (2018), “Sino-Russian Coordination in Central Asia and Implications for U.S. and Japanese Policies Asia Policy”, Asia Policy, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 26-31.
35. Uzbekistan: Country Report (2003 - 2008), The Economist Intelligence Unit, available at: https://www.eiu.com.
36. Zheng, J. (2008), Cooperation between Russia and China in the fight against international terrorism within the SCO: Author’s thesis [Sotrudnichestvo Rossii i Kitaya v bor’be s mezhdunarodnym terrorizmom v ramkakh ShOS: avtoref. dis.], Moscow.
37. Zhenpeng, L. (2019), Chinese Policy in Central Asia (2000 – 2017): Author’s thesis [Kitaiskaya politika v Tsentral’noi Azii (2000 – 2017): avtoref. dis.], Vladivostok.
Review
For citations:
Rakhimov M.A., Paramonov V.V. Comparison of the Economic Relations of Russia and China with Central Asian Countries. Russia & World: Sc. Dialogue. 2021;1(1):52-66. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.53658/RW2021-1-1-52-66
Views:
1582
Email this article 