THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE AND KAZAKHSTAN-CHINA RELATIONS: A DECADE OF BILATERAL TRANSFORMATION
Keywords:
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Kazakhstan, China, bilateral relations, infrastructure, transit corridor, Middle Corridor, Silk Road Economic Belt, trade cooperation, Central Asian geopolitics, Eurasian connectivity.Abstract
This article examines how the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), announced in Astana in 2013, has changed the structure of Kazakhstan-China bilateral relations over the past decade. Drawing on trade statistics, infrastructure data, and policy documents, the analysis covers economic cooperation, transport and logistics development, geopolitical positioning, and people-to-people contacts. Bilateral trade grew from $368 million in 1992 to $41 billion in 2023; joint infrastructure projects exceeded $21 billion in value; and more than 15,000 km of transport corridors were upgraded. The article argues that Kazakhstan has managed to align BRI participation with its own development priorities while preserving a multi-vector foreign policy, and that the partnership has produced measurable gains for both sides.
References
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