Locating Tajikistan in China’S BRI: Implications and challenges
- Bihar Journal of Public Administration
- 21(2), Jul-Dec, 2024: p.826-838
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the engagement of other nations with Central Asian states received more attention and discussion. China’s engagement through BRI in the post-Soviet zone, particularly in Tajikistan, coined a new geopolitical dynamics of Beijing’s extended outreach in the region. In this backdrop, this article explores China’s strategic engagement with Tajikistan within the framework of BRI. Employing the exploratory methods of inquiry draws on empirical evidence the study examines how China’s interactions through BRI affect Tajikistan on social-economic and geopolitical grounds. The study’s findings reveal that, motivated by strategic ambitions, Beijing uses different means, including soft power, military engagement, and investment, to take Tajikistan into its strategic orbit. This dynamic has contributed to an expansion of Chinese influence within Tajikistan’s domestic political sphere, promoting the rise of Sinophilia and deepening the nation’s economic and political dependence on China. Consequently, this dependency has restricted the engagement opportunities available to other global powers, limiting their strategic influence in Tajikistan. – Reproduced