1st Edition
The European Union, China and Central Asia Global and Regional Cooperation in A New Era
This book examines the involvement of the European Union (EU) and China in Central Asia and critically assesses the implications this has for the region as a whole.
The volume adopts a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach, combining insights from International Relations, EU Studies, International Economics, International Law, Sinology, and History. It concentrates on three thematic levels: (1) historical and contextual, (2) geopolitical and geo-economic, and (3) socio-cultural and institutional. Paying particular attention to the role of the EU and the factors driving the EU’s and China’s relations with Central Asia, it looks at how the Central Asian countries position themselves vis-à-vis China’s growing influence, and how the balance of power between China, Russia, and the EU plays out. Contributors also explore the important historical context of the ‘Silk Routes’, as well as of the erstwhile connection of the Central Asian states with the Soviet Union. Critically analysing the potential areas for collaboration and synergy between the EU and China, the book also discusses the extent to which they share a common ground in Central Asia that could serve as a basis for long-term cooperation.
It will be of interest to all scholars and students of International Relations, Economics, Sinology, and History.
Chapter One: Introduction: The EU and China in Central Asia: (Un)natural Partners?
Fabienne Bossuyt and Bart Dessein
Part I Historical and Contemporary Contexts of China and the European Union in Central Asia
Chapter Two: Central Asia between China and Europe: Reflections on historical identity
Bart Dessein
Chapter Three: The Context of China’s Pursuits in Central Asia: The role of historical memories in Chinese foreign policy-making
Niva Yau
Chapter Four: Sketching the Context: A Comparative overview of the EU’s and China’s engagement with Central Asia
Fabienne Bossuyt
Part II Geopolitical Implications of the European Union’s and China’s Engagement with Central Asia
Chapter Five: European Engagement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative: A Central Asian perspective
Aleksey Asiryan
Chapter Six: The Other Actor: Gauging Russian reactions to potential EU-China cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative in Central AsiaKatherine Kjellström Elgin
Chapter Seven: Varieties of Hierarchy and Central Asian Resilience
Yuval Weber
Chapter Eight: Central Asian Countries and Their Trade Relations with the European Union and China: Towards cooperation or competition?
Krzysztof Falkowski
Chapter Nine: The EU and China in Central Asian Energy Geopolitics
Marco Siddi and Marcin Kaczmarski
Part III Soft Power and Governance Perspectives on the European Union’s and China’s Engagement with Central Asia
Chapter Ten: Soft Power Instruments: An assessment of China’s soft power and sinophobia in Central Asia
John Irgengioro
Chapter Eleven: Between the EU, Russia, and China: Cultural diplomacy competition in Central Asia
Domenico Valenza, Elke Boers, and Alessandra Cappelletti
Chapter Twelve: Russia, China, and the European Union in the Framework of ‘Greater Eurasia’: An emerging Eurasian governance system
Maria L. Lagutina and Ekaterina B. Mikhaylenko
Chapter Thirteen: Towards a New Model of Transnational Governance in Anti-corruption: Hopeful new beginnings in Central Asia?
Thomas Kruessmann
Chapter Fourteen: EU-China Relations in Central Asia in the Context of the Belt and Road Initiative: A regional(ist) perspective
Ikboljon Qoraboyev and Kairat Moldashev
Chapter Fifteen: Conclusion: What Scope for EU-China Cooperation in Central Asia in the Context of the Belt and Road Initiative and Beyond?
Fabienne Bossuyt and Bart Dessein
Biography
Fabienne Bossuyt is Assistant Professor at the Ghent Institute for International and European Studies at the Department of Political Science at Ghent University (Belgium) and heads Ghent University’s Russia Platform.
Bart Dessein, PhD 1994 from Ghent University, is Senior Full Professor at the Department of Languages and Cultures of Ghent University, where he is the head of the research group ‘East Asian Culture in Perspective: Identity, Historical Consciousness, Modernity’.
