Analysis Of Chinese Aid Policy In Tajikistan

In the beginning of the21st century, when the geopolitical situation and balance ofpower in Central Asia changed significantly, China gradually increased its economicrole and strategic involvement in order to become an important player in the region.This strategic pivot led to the initiation of Chinese investment and developmentassistance in Central Asia. In this work the author doesn’t research the investmentpolicy of China in Tajikistan, but analyses the main projects launched by China in thecountry, which are considered to be the part of Chinese development assistance policy.The work’s strongest aspect is that, aside from some brief research made by foreignscholars, there is an absence of this kind of research and everything that was writtenbefore mainly focused on the investment policy of China in Tajikistan. It started in2006,when China, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, providedlow concessional loans to Central Asian states in order improve their economies.Tajikistan took two thirds of these credits.Actually, the question is:“Why does China provide foreign aid to Tajikistan?” Theauthor investigated Chinese development aid policy and the particularities of this policyin Tajikistan, the recipient’s attitude toward this policy and also the social perception ofChina due to its growing presence in the country.The author finds some particularities in development aid policy of China. Firstly,China’s development aid policy is different from the Western states’ typical aid policy.Secondly, China is not member of any international foreign aid organization. Thirdly,China’s lack of conditionality makes its concessional loans attractive. China’s corevalue of non-interference in internal affairs of the states makes its loans attractive formany developing states, including Central Asia. Ultimately, China’s aid policy is part ofits so-called “going out” policy.The main spheres of cooperation between Tajikistan and China are support fortransport and infrastructure projects. These fields are important for both China andTajikistan. While China has more economic interests in resource rich states likeKazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan Chinese investment in the two other CentralAsian states–Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan–which do not have oil or gas, are mainlyaimed to stabilize these states. Stability and development of XUAR have a big impact in the future economic development of China and Central Asia’s impact on thedevelopment of Xinjiang cannot be overestimated.China’s economic presence in Tajikistan and Central Asia has led to an increasedawareness about China. According to this research, the perception about China inTajikistan is more neutral than negative. According to interviews that were done by theauthor, many politicians, and some scholars, are not afraid of China’s policy inTajikistan, and wish to continue cooperating in the economic sphere. Contrary to manycritical views on China’s involvement in Tajikistan, they don’t support the idea ofTajikistan sinking into a “debt hole”.