China-Russia Interaction In Central Asia

The purpose of this thesis is to examine tensions in the relations of Russia and China in the Central Asia region and the role of the SCO.The Central Asia region is important for both Moscow and Beijing because of plenty reasons like energy,building infrastructure,security in terms of ‘three evil’ enemy of countries and balancing weight of United States.This thesis consists of four chapters;explanations of the conceptual framework and introduction of the study will be made in the Chapter 1.In Chapter 2 consists of information about April 26,1996 the head of Russia,China,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan met in Shanghai with the aim to develop a common position on the whole range of problems of regional cooperation and confidence-building measures in the military field.The forum was signed "Agreement on Confidence-Building Measures in the military field in the border area of the joint." In 1996-2000 the leaders of these countries(the "Shanghai Five")met alternately in Shanghai,Moscow,Alma-Ata,Bishkek and Dushanbe.The Dushanbe meeting in 2000 marked the end of the first round of meetings of Heads of State of the "Shanghai Five".On the basis of agreements on confidence-building in the military sphere and mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area,signed between Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,China,Russia and Tajikistan,respectively,in 1996 and 1997 and formed the SCO and then definition,history and development of the SCO will be made in this chapter.In the 3rd Chapter,Russia and China are allies in Central Asia on many issues,including the problems of combating terrorism,separatism and extremism,as well as common interests in the energy sector.But,despite this circumstance,Moscow and Beijing remain contenders on many issues.In particular,within the framework of the SCO in the relations between Russia and China there is tension in relations,in views and positions,mainly reducing to the question of the future status and perspective of the development of the SCO as a regional organization.Russia’s interests in Central Asia are due,firstly,to its desire to maintain influence in the region,to keep under its protection the remnants of the post-Soviet space and thereby to confirm its role,if not the world,then at least the Eurasian power.Such claims remain one of the main motivations of the Kremlin’s foreign policy,suffering from an inferiority complex due to the widespread weakening of its influence.At the same time,post-Soviet countries are the only part of the world where the Kremlin can reasonably claim leadership,albeit with reservations.Economic relations between China and Central Asian countries are on the rise and are constructed in the form of strategic partnership.Beijing views the economic cooperation with the region as a tool of influence,diffusion of technology,culture and "soft power".Fuel and Energy Complex are a priority sector of cooperation for China,whose economy is in need of large amounts of energy.Cooperation in this area to help prevent interruptions in supply from the Middle East due to the growing instability in the region and the possibility of overlapping Chinese naval fleet communications rival the United States and India in the case of political tension.Also,will be explained the emerging issues of disagreement between China and Russia in the early 21 st century.In Chapter 4,the traditionally uneasy Soviet-Chinese relations were going through difficult period at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union,and the prospects for their harmonization and further development seemed unlikely.Nevertheless,they gradually improved,and today Moscow and Beijing regard each other as a "strategic partnership".The rivalry between them seems inevitable due to the opposite of the goals: Russia is trying to maintain its influence in the region,while China is striving to expand its influence in the region,while China seeks to expand its importance through rapid economic development that brings it closer to the status of superpower.Moscow fears that the growing gap between the economic opportunities of China and Russia will lead to a change in the dynamics of relations and will force Russia to play a secondary role.In the past few years,the Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO)has been paying increasing attention to joint economic projects.An example of a global approach to determining the forms and mechanisms of cooperation is the project of creating a single energy market for the SCO.The existing system of pipelines in the SCO space,which connects Russia,the countries of Central Asia and China,lays the foundation for the creation of a single energy market of the SCO.The SCO can serve as an effective tool for coordination and coordinating the tactical and strategic policies of the Central Asian countries with the PRC and with Russia,including in the energy sector.China wants to deepen energy cooperation with Russia,with the countries of Central Asia.This cooperation is part of the new geopolitical strategy of China to Eurasia,due to its geopolitical position and the desire to become a privileged partner for these countries.The importance of the SCO’s economic potential is considered by the Central Asian countries in the context of ensuring the inflow of Chinese capital into the national energy complexes of the countries of the region,as well as in the diversification of the main routes for the delivery of energy resources to world markets.Also,will be explained mitigations of SCO in tensions between China and Russia in the energy and security field in the Central Asia and last Chapter will be concluded.