Trans-Regional Integration and Connectivity in Central Asia: Strategies of Russia, China and European Union

Abstract Trans-regional integration and connectivity has been considered mostly in the sense of cross border transport and logistics corridors for regional and inter-regional trade in the context of this particular research work. Central Asia, after the breakup of former Soviet Union, reappeared in the ebb and flow of international exchanges as the global and regional powers are intensely engaged in developing regional and trans-regional transport corridors across the region. Russia, China and European Union (EU) have developed and operating their own plans of integration and connectivity. Russia’s approaches to trans-regional integration in Eurasia’s heartland demonstrate the characteristics of both ‘open regionalism’ under Greater Eurasian Partnership and ‘close regionalism’ under the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) framework. China’s plans of regional and trans-regional integration in Eurasia’s heartland under the BRI are based on the concept of open regionalism despite having geographical contiguity. EU’s approach towards regional and trans-regional integration in Central Asia is also based on the principles of open regionalism where Middle Corridor has become a necessity. Multilateralism under the regional organizations is also at work for enhanced cross border hard and soft connectivity. Hence a number of trans-continental Eurasian trade and transport corridors across Central Asia are being developed giving impetus to regional cooperation in Central Asia. The paper attempts to answer three main questions; how regionalism and trans-regional integration has been evolving in Central Asian context? How Russia, China and European Union (EU) have been developing their plans of trans-regional connectivity in altered regional configuration?, and how the trans-regional connectivity plans impacting Central Asia as a region? The approach in this study is explanatory and exploratory and methodology adopted is qualitative in nature mainly descriptive and analytical.