ABSTRACT
As an emerging transnational project, the Belt and Road Initiative's (BRI) success depends not only on long-term financial investments and economic feasibility but also on a favourable international environment and China's international cooperation strategy. This chapter considers the importance of using the perspective of the Central Asian states to evaluate the prospects for the BRI and for the European Union (EU)'s engagement in the region. It gives an overview of the recent shifts in the foreign policies of Central Asian states, particularly Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, towards greater regionalisation. The chapter evaluates the EU policy towards Central Asia. The chapter also concludes that it is also in the interests of China and Central Asian states to see European involvement in the BRI beyond fragmented negotiations between different member states and China.
