Vladimir Paramonov and Oleg Stolpovski: Chinese Security Interests in Central AsiaНазад
Vladimir Paramonov and Oleg Stolpovski: Chinese Security Interests in Central Asia
Key Points
* The sudden change in the geopolitical configuration in and around Central Asia caused by the collapse of the USSR came as a considerable surprise to China. On one hand, the emergence of new independent states opened up opportunities for China to expand its presence globally and regionally, but, the fundamentally different alignment of forces in the world including in Central Asia gave rise to new threats to Chinas security interests.
* In the early 1990s, China had not yet built up an integrated, systematic picture of the region and its potential. However, it was understood in China that only constructive cooperation with the Central Asian states could guarantee regional security.
* Initially, Beijing prioritised the development of cooperation to solve the problems inherited from the Chinese-Soviet era as well as those arising from the disintegration of the Soviet Union. A careful, but at the same time persistent approachs enabled China to achieve favourable solutions to a whole series of questions by the mid-1990s.
* The late 1990s, however, saw an increase in the negative effects of new threats associated with the military-political instability in Afghanistan. In this situation, Beijing pressed for even more active cooperation with the Central Asian states. China tried to adopt the role of external guarantor for a regional security system and offered a strategic partnership with Moscow, which, unlike Beijing, had a historic presence in the region.
* 9/11 and the subsequent strengthening of the USAs military-political presence once again changed the alignment of forces in and around the region to the disadvantage of China. After developing appropriate conceptual solutions, Beijing significantly accelerated its attempts to consolidate stability and strengthen its influence in the region, placing major emphasis on the economic component of relations.
* Overall, the dynamic developing in and around Central Asia is causing China to make constant adjustments to the assessment criteria with respect to the threats to its interests in the region and, accordingly, to the algorithms for reaction to them. Today, as before, Beijing looks at the region not only with a view to the possibilities for strengthening its positions, but also in the context of the need to react appropriately to real and potential threats to its security.
