Tag Archives: 21st Century Maritime Silk Road

China is seeking to “redraw Asia’s geopolitical map” through the Twenty-First Century Maritime Silk Road and Silk Road Economic Belt projects. What looked like two Asias with quite different dynamics now looks more like one complex Asia, in which economic as well as military power is being used within a competitive logic between states.

China wants to counterbalance Russian influence in Central Asia by expanding its economic activities, trade and transport projects in the region. As Russia suffers recession and the political isolation due to the conflict in Ukraine, its influence in Kazakhstan and Central Asia may decrease.