Ibrahim Koncak

This case study explores the economic and security-oriented engagement of China in Tajikistan. The study provides an answer to the question 'What factors motivate Chinese security and economic engagement in Central Asia? The main findings of the study are the active Chinese military buildup, building military bases in Tajikistan is explained by China's intentions to protect its investments, mainly mining enterprises. Another important issue for Chinese foreign policy is to fight against nationalist separatism and the implementation of the One Belt One Road project.

This article studies the perception of great powers in the eyes of students in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan using data collected through an online survey. The research has compared the perceptions of China’s and other Great Powers’ economic, political, and military authority among the youth of Central Asian countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. To analyze these perceptions, young people from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (N = 262) took part in a survey in the spring of 2021. Responses were analyzed to reveal the differences in perception by applying descriptive and inferential statistical methods, i.e., one-sample t-test. An association of geodemographic factors with the perception towards global powers was discovered by applying the chi-square test statistical method. The early research revealed that the role of the other Great Powers was seen mainly in political terms, while China’s role was mostly economic, however, recent studies made it clear that China’s political influence is incr...