Paper long abstract:

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) advances a particular vision of Chinese development. It appears that great power relations are no longer Beijing's the only foreign policy priority, as neighborhood diplomacy and regional integration takes a more central stage. The plans of reviving the classic Silk Road trade routes and constructing new economic corridors are accompanied by the discourse of building 'a community of common destiny.' This idea amalgamates a variety of Chinese foreign policy postulates and principles towards its neighbours. In particular, it envisages China as an important global and regional player, which cannot develop in an isolation from the rest of the region, but in a similar vein the development of which is instrumental to the prosperity of all Chinese neighbours. Accordingly, this paper seeks to assess whether BRI can foster a sense of community of common destiny and have a positive effect on the development of China's neighbouring states by scrutinizing the impact of BRI-related activities on Central Asian states at a range of scales. The work examines whether Beijing-led regional integration can soothe ethnic divisions, mitigate political differences, and introduce win-win economic solutions in Central Asia. The paper will also examine whether China can emerge as a potential norm-maker by promoting 'a community of common destiny' in its own neighbourhood.