China’s Central Asia policy

The chapter investigates to what extent China advances its economic and security interests by using its foreign policy doctrines as instruments of policy coordination with Russia and Central Asia. Beijing’s military-strategic doctrine of active defense has facilitated military cooperation with its Central Asian neighbors and Russia to deter Islamist terrorism and curb the freedom rights of Muslim minorities. China’s Belt and Road Initiative has linked economic development in Central Asia to China’s northwestern region Xinjiang through infrastructure, resource extraction, and communications investments. The development policy has allowed China to penetrate Central Asia’s economies, making them dependent on Chinese investments. China’s peaceful coexistence doctrine has encouraged security coordination to keep a lid on regional conflicts while focusing on pursuing national interests. China’s coexistence approach matches Central Asian and Russian concerns to engage with China without limiting access to other partners. China’s foreign policy doctrines have contributed to positioning China as a leading regional economic and security actor. Chinese policies do not address growing strategic conflict between regional powers, mounting socio-economic inequality, and rivalry over which regional institutions should be given priority in regional cooperation and conflict management. The chapter concludes that as China’s economic and political power in Central Asia continues to grow, the region is likely to face increasingly coercive and China-centric policies from Beijing.