CHINA AS A REGIONAL POWER: THE CASE OF CENTRAL ASIA

This article aims to analyze the behaviour of China as a regional power by applying it to the specific case of Central Asia. The central argument is that Beijing is trying to boost economic, political and military ties with the Central Asian Republics, although its soft power is still very ineffective in the region. Moreover, the Chinese regional ambitions are often viewed with suspicion by neighbouring Central Asian countries, which still see Russia as a great economic, military and cultural reference, given its long Soviet past