Chinese Policy in Central Asia in the Estimation of Chinese Experts

After the start of Russia’s Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine in February 2022, some in the West thought that China might take advantage of Moscow’s diverted attention in order to elbow Russia out of Central Asia. Around the same time, China, having overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and lifted restrictions on cross-border cargo transportation and movement of people, enhanced its economic and diplomatic activity in Central Asia. This situation raises a set of interrelated questions. What is behind China’s drastically increased activity in Central Asia? What are the driving forces of Chinese policy in the region? How does Beijing see its opportunities and challenges in Central Asia amid ongoing changes there and the overall new geopolitical situation? Does Beijing intend to undermine Russia’s position in the region? The author offers an analysis of what Chinese experts say and write on this score, providing some clues to the matter.