Overview

Since the early 2000s, the People's Republic of China has become an increasingly key player in the fortunes of Central Asia, both diplomatically and strategically, particularly through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Economically, China has become one of the largest traders and investors in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, drastically diminishing Russia's long-time dominance and the influence of the United States and Europe. Treating China as an external factor in the domestic ordering of Central Asia, this volume uniquely analyzes the changes that have revolutionized the systems and societies of Central Asia. It reveals how China has become a subject of public debate and academic and expert research, and it follows the new cultural mediators, petty traders, lobbyists, migrants, and diasporas that have emerged in conjunction with the country's rise. China's ascendance has also triggered a number of anxieties and phobias across Central Asia, and the authors show how its dominance has brought Sinophobia and Sinophilia into closer relation.

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9780231703048

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Reviews

This is a multifaceted and timely contribution to the literature on the role and influence of China and Chinese in contemporary Central Asia. I strongly recommend this book to scholars interested in social change in Central Asia, and the interrelationships of China and Chinese with this fascinating process. -- Colin Mackerras, Emeritus Professor, Griffith Business School Laruelle and Peyrouse have written a detailed and multifaceted analysis of the economic, political and societal interactions between China and the five Central Asian states. Thanks to their extensive fieldwork, they document a rich spectrum of views on China within the Central Asian states among students, researchers, business people and ethnic communities. More importantly, they show how the encounters between China and the Central Asian states over the past two decades serve as a prism through which we can assess how these societies grapple with major political, economic and social changes. -- Elizabeth Wishnick, Associate Professor of Political Science, Montclair State University, and Senior Research Scholar, Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University

Author Information

Marlene Laruelle is director of the Central Asia Program and a research professor of international affairs at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES), Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. Sebastien Peyrouse is a research professor of international affairs at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES), Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. Both authors have spent five years in Central Asia and have published numerous articles and policy papers on the growing Chinese presence in the region.

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