Is it really different? Patterns of regionalisation in post-Soviet Central Asia

Abstract

This article examines the prospects of regional economic integration in Central Asia from the point of view of the extent of actual economic interdependencies in the region, using a new and unique dataset. We find that Central Asian states tend to be integrated with other countries of the former Soviet Union rather than with each other; the advantage that the Central Asian states had in terms of regional integration has been rapidly disappearing over recent decades. While currently Russia and the former Soviet Union outperform China as the key economic partners for Central Asia, there is a clear trend towards an increase in economic links to China. Finally, we find that Central Asian states are pro-active in creating new economic links in Eurasia: the role of Kazakhstan, in particular, should be noted from this perspective.