The main geostrategic priorities of the People’s Republic of China in the post-Soviet space

Abstract

The article examines the key directions of the strategic goals of the People’s Republic of China in relation to the republics of the former USSR. China’s stated goals are to strengthen its economic influence through investment, loans and infrastructure projects, as well as to form a belt of friendly countries with predictable domestic and foreign policies. Particular attention is paid to China’s strategy to reduce the influence of other global players in the region, such as Russia and the United States.
It is emphasized that after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and the introduction of Western sanctions against it, China finally refused to consider Russia as a central actor in the post-Soviet space. China openly shows that Central Asia occupies a central place in its geostrategy in the post-Soviet space. Beijing’s latest actions suggest that it no longer sees the need to involve Russia or consider its interests in its relations with the five Central Asian republics. The creation of the cooperation format «China – Central Asia» gave an understanding that China plans to cooperate with the region without Russia in the future.
It has been established that China’s strategic interest in rapprochement with the countries of Central Asia concerns the achievement of goals in security, logistics, trade-economic and geopolitical dimensions.
The tools China uses to achieve its strategic goals in the post-Soviet space have evolved from a multilateral organization with Russian participation, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to the unilateral Belt and Road Initiative and the C+C5 format, in which Russia does not participate.