On 10 March, I took part in the event “Central Asia and China: Partnership or Dependence?” organised by the Caspian Policy Centre. I was asked to speak about China’s economic presence in Central Asia. I focused on trade and infrastructure, as well as China’s growing role in production and in local and regional supply chains. I also discussed renewable energy, nuclear, and rare and critical minerals projects as well as the possibility of a larger role for Western partners in the mining sector. I noted the necessity to keep in mind the environmental, social, and political consequences of mining and extractivism in a region that has suffered so much from European control over its material resources.
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China has rapidly expanded its footprint in Central Asia over the last 15 years, recently emerging as the region’s largest trading partner. Through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing has poured billions of dollars into the Central Asian countries, financing infrastructure, renewable energy, agriculture, and digital technologies while presenting itself as a reliable development partner. China’s interest in the region has also intensified as the Middle Corridor — a trade and transport network linking China to Europe via Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Türkiye — has emerged as an increasingly attractive alternative to traditional trade routes. Central Asian governments, eager for investment and diversification, have embraced China as a strategic ally in trade and growth. However, Beijing’s expanding presence in Central Asia has also been met with local resistance. In several countries, concerns over debt, land use, labour practices, and sovereignty have sparked public protests and, in some cases, elite-level unease.
This webinar will bring together regional experts to explore how China’s rise in the region is reshaping Central Asia across multiple dimensions, including geopolitics and security, infrastructure and connectivity, supply chains and natural resources, and bilateral relations (including perceptions and tensions).
Moderated by James Sharp, Advisory Board Member, Caspian Policy Centre
- Rebecca Nadin, Director of Global Risks and Resilience at ODI Global
- Reid Standish, China Global Affairs correspondent at RFE/RL
- Frank Maracchione, ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Studies, SOAS University of London
- Joanna Lillis, journalist, author of Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan and Silk Mirage: Through the Looking Glass in Uzbekistan
Frank Maracchione 