The files we follow: China in the Indo-Pacific; Chinese defense and the Taiwan Strait; Sino-Russian relations; China’s involvement in the Middle East; Chinese economic strategy and trends; China within the BRICS +…
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Dear EurasiaPeace readers,
To coincide with the Chinese New Year festivities on January 29, 2025, we’re offering a special format: reading geopolitical news in the light of this pivotal period. Here you’ll find a brief analysis on Chinese influence in Central Asia – good reading!
Echo of the Chinese Dragon in Central Asia
International relations’ geopolitical tradition distinguishes disparate practices of power, ranging from soft, hard, to smart power: in the case of China, the perception of its influence evokes a paradoxical and contradictory sentiment, sometimes of admiration, sometimes of intimidation. Around 1.4 billion Chinese citizens celebrated the Lunar New Year on January 29: a suspended moment between heritage and future, blending roots and renewed hopes. The Chinese Communist Party, for its part, has taken full measure of its ability to charm the world by weaving multidimensional ties.
As on the world’s geopolitical chessboard, China is a powerful nation with a huge market that gives it an influential position in certain strategic areas of the world. In the influential versus influenced dialectic, China has seized the opportunity to stimulate some isolated areas in search of development, especially through the “Belt and Road” initiative. These economic and political arrangements have not only strengthened ties between the former Soviet republics and China, but they have also helped counter what the elite in Zhongnanhai perceive as misconceptions about China spread by foreign media.
Xi Jinping has effectively launched multilateral actions that resemble regional integration processes with peripheral countries. At the same time, he has rebuilt the regime’s image in opposition to outdated and rejected Western ideologies. Far from being static, Chinese culture has reinvented itself, transforming itself in contact with local cultural realities in a process of hybridization that has revealed that the influenced is not a passive receptacle, but a creative actor in the evolution of the influence itself. Far from being simply absorbed, Chinese symbols and traditions were reinterpreted and transformed by the peoples of Central Asia, who shaped them into a new version specific to their own peculiarities: in Uzbekistan, for example, Chinese cuisine has merged with local traditions, combining techniques and ingredients to create lagman, a characteristic noodle dish.
Chinese embassies in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan also have become accustomed to organizing large-scale celebrations, such as shows, concerts, and “dragon dances”, while gathering broad audiences through Confucius Institutes. The organization of calligraphy workshops, film screenings, and language courses has facilitated cultural exchange and allowed China to gradually integrate aspects of its culture into the daily life of local populations.
On January 24, 2025, during the Chinese New Year celebrations, Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over a reception in Beijing : in his speech, he celebrated both China’s diplomatic progress and the spirit of renewal inherent in the festivities. He highlighted the echoes of history’s march in 2025, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the birth of the UN, and the victory over the Japanese aggressor.
In the end, the Chinese New Year celebrations faded into the glow of the “magnificent Chapter Ball”, where each dancer, with each step, bridged the gap between ancient tradition and the horizon of a new world shaped by China’s modern ambitions.