The Great Game that Never Ends: China emerges as leading player in Kazakhstan

The Great Game that Never Ends: China emerges as leading player in Kazakhstan

Geopolitics

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Shanghai Five

Silk Route

Historic Border Accord

Strategic Balance

Kazakhstan occupies a unique geopolitical position in Eurasia. Kazakhstan has gradually emerged as a regional power as a result of its economic progress and „multi-vector‟ foreign policy. China‟s policy in Kazakhstan is linked to its larger strategic and geo-political interests following the disintegration of the former USSR. China‟s economic policy is also largely based on its energy security needs and search for a market for its finished goods. Simultaneously, there is also a fear among Chinese policy makers with regard to the „opening up „of its north western frontier towards the Muslim Republics of Central Asia as it involves the risk of Islamic fundamentalism and cross-border ethnic separatism that may pose grave threat to China‟s national security. China has achieved a significant advantage over any potential competitor and has created an important infrastructure base in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan‟s foreign cooperation with Russia or the West will no longer change this trend of increased interaction with China.

Tripathi, Anurag

Artha Journal of Social Sciences; Vol. 16 No. 4 (2017): Artha Journal of Social Sciences; 61-77

0000-0000

0975-329X

Centre for Publications, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore

2017-10-01

Copyright (c) 2019 Artha - Journal of Social Sciences

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

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