Eurasian Response to China's Rise: Russia and Kazakhstan in Search of Optimal China Policy

Abstract

This article examines the complex interplay between the economic motivation of states, their geographic location, geopolitical aspirations, historical experiences, and cultural biases in the context of Russia's and Kazakhstan's relations with China. The concept of Eurasianism, which has been prominent in the political and academic discourse in Russia and Central Asia and is an attempt to reconcile those often conflicting factors, is tested today by the rise of Asia and China more specifically. At the empirical level, the article analyzes China's evolving role and influence in the Eurasian and Central Asian space and discusses Russia's and Kazakhstan's perceptions and responses to China's emerging activism in the region. Russia's and Kazakhstan's future integration in broader Asia‐Pacific regional processes and its forms will depend on how the two countries balance the economic and security dimensions of their China relations.