Bound by One Belt

Abstract

The article contains an information about the alignment of the Silk Road Economic Belt with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Russian integration projects the main of which is the Eurasian Economic Union. Complex Chinese initiative has many different aspects and dimensions relating to trade, investment, transport infrastructural, cultural and humanitarian issues. The author considers the problem of alignment in many aspects including the current state of Russian academic expertise and the possible ways of using the project in order to improve socioeconomic situation in the Russian territories in the Central Asia, Siberia and the Far East. The author stresses the security concerns, which seemed to be underestimated by China on the early stages of the program implementation. In this context, the author pays special attention to the threats of international terrorism, the rais ing instability in the states-participants, transnational crime and drug market. The author concludes that the project will not bring positive consequences unless Chinese authorities will closely cooperate with Russia and the regional organizations it associated with. As a result, it is possible to reach a partner cooperation between the states (although different in their economic potential), under which China will benefit effective using of its resources and overcome the current economic isolation of the Сentral Asian states. From the other hand, Russia will get a chance to improve the situation of economic inequality between its internal regions. Russian military and political power may guarantee successful assimilation of Chinese financial investments.

Keywords

• cooperation
• politics
• china
• integration
• eurasia
• infrastructure
• russia
• competition
• security