Political Economy of Belt and Road Initiative. Participation of Kazakhstan in the Initiative

Abstract

The BRI Initiative was introduced for almost 7 years but its motives and influence on the participating countries are still controversial. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine the current role of Kazakhstan in the Initiative and assess the impact of the Initiative on Kazakhstan. We studied the concepts and development strategies of the Initiative, the speeches of officials of the participating states of the Initiative, the governmental documents of Kazakhstan and China affecting the Initiative, international memoranda and agreements between China and Kazakhstan since 2013, as well as statistical reports for the specified period. Results showed that China is interested in the location of Kazakhstan as an alternative to the development of its logistics routes, whereas Kazakhstan is interested in China as an investor, and has already developed concrete steps for the development of regions within the framework of the Initiative. Dry Port project at Khorgos Special Economic Zone is mutually beneficial project that meets the expectations of both parties. The presence of a precedent and the proven desire of the countries to continue its development allow us to positively forecast further cooperation between the two countries.