ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE WITHOUT POLITICAL ALIGNMENT? CHINA’S GROWING ECONOMIC PRESENCE AND CENTRAL ASIAN STRATEGIC AUTONOMY

China has become one of the most important economic actors in Central Asia. Over the past two decades, trade, investment, infrastructure development, energy cooperation, and transport connectivity between China and the five Central Asian states have expanded considerably. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), announced by Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan in 2013, further strengthened the economic significance of the region for Beijing. This trend has continued in recent years. In 2025, trade in goods between China and the five Central Asian countries reached a record USD 106.3 billion, exceeding USD 100 billion for the first time. Chinese exports to the region amounted to USD 71.2 billion, while imports from Central Asia reached USD 35.1 billion (Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China [MOFCOM], 2026).

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