Abstract

The article examines Kazakhstan’s active participation in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in the context of geopolitical and geoeconomic objectives and prospects of this project. It analyzes advantages, challenges and future opportunities for the Republic of Kazakhstan as one of the most active Central Asian participants of the Chinese initiative. The author deals with opportunities, successes and challenges of linking Kazakhstan’s Nurly Zhol national economic development programme to it. Kazakhstan’s Nurly Zhol economic programme, also called the “Path to the Future”, or literally the “Bright Road”) was launched in 2014. It has much in common with the Belt and Road concept. This programme includes priority strategies and goals, such as improving transport and logistics infrastructure, the reconstruction of industrial infrastructure, strengthening communications, etc. All this undoubtedly reinforces the interest of Kazakhstan and China in mutual cooperation. The Belt and Road Initiative is regarded as an area of collective cooperation, which has an increasing impact not only on Kazakhstan’s economy, but also on the economic trends of all Central Asian countries. For Kazakhstan, there are several priority areas. The Chinese initiative contributes to the implementation of initiatives to strengthen and expand the transport and infrastructure potential of the country; Kazakhstan gets an opportunity to develop the most important East-West economic corridor through its own territory, which in the future will become an important source of investments, as well as a condition for the transfer of the latest technologies. The author concludes that the set of perspectives is related to the possibility for Kazakhstan to overcome its perception as a supplier of raw materials and a transit corridor. The tool to achieve this goal could be a technological strategy for Kazakhstan, allowing the involvement of investments from China, Russia, the United States, the EU, including the practice of creating joint research centres, high-tech clusters that will strengthen Kazakhstan’s position as an economic and technological leader in Central Asia

References

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《推动共建丝绸之路经济带和21世纪海上丝绸之路的愿景与行动》