Asia Geopolitics Inside China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia
4 snips
Nov 1, 2025 In this dialogue with Bradley Jardine, Managing Director at the AXA Society for Central Asian Affairs, listeners gain insight into China's intricate strategies in Central Asia. He discusses how the region serves as a testing ground for China's policies, including the Belt and Road Initiative. Jardine also examines the dynamics of great power competition and how Central Asian states balance relations with China under public scrutiny. He highlights the backdrop of public dissent and the role of social media in expressing discontent.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Central Asia As China's Policy Lab
- Central Asia is a testing ground where China pilots policies like transnational repression and multilateral forums before exporting them elsewhere.
- Beijing launched the Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan and used Silk Road diplomacy as a soft-power template used globally.
Land Corridors, Energy, And Strategic Autonomy
- Central Asia offers China strategic alternatives to maritime routes and access to energy and critical minerals, boosting its autonomy from US choke points.
- The region also serves as a hub for sanctions evasion and growing critical-minerals importance for global supply chains.
Elites Seek Investment, Public Pushes Back
- Central Asian governments court Chinese investment while making political concessions to secure elite-led projects and multilateral support.
- Yet civil-society pushback and domestic constraints force mixed messaging and limit how openly pro-China leaders can be.
