China could ‘opens doors’ to Central Asia amid growing discontent with Russia’s ‘Putin Doctrine’
- Russia’s war in Ukraine has increased reservations among governments in Central Asia, with Moscow ‘not enjoying the former hegemonic power’ it once did
- This is providing China with an opening to further grow its footprint in the region, according to an Atlantic Council panel discussion this week
Growing disaffection with Russia among the former Soviet republics of Central Asia is providing China with an opportunity to further its economic and political interests in the region, according to a panel held by an American think tank earlier this week.
Long considered part of Russia’s sphere of influence, the war in Ukraine – also once a Soviet republic – has increased reservations among the region’s governments, leading them to look elsewhere for cooperation, according to an online panel discussion held on Wednesday by the Washington-based Atlantic Council.
“There are many small indicators that Russia may not be enjoying the former hegemonic power they once did,” said Ariel Cohen, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Centre.
Cohen said regional governments have grown wary of an increasingly assertive Russia and what he called the “Putin Doctrine”, or the belief that the existence of Russian diaspora or shared culture and history provide justification for military intervention.
With Russia likely to recede significantly from the from Central Asia in the near future, it does open doors for China to come in
This is providing China with an opening to further grow its footprint in the region, the panel heard.