In search of Eurasia: discourse analysis of the views of experts and political scientists in Russia and China

Russia and China are the leading states of the Eurasian continent, and the dynamics of their relations largely determines the dynamics of geopolitical processes in the region. In this context, the actual question is how similar and compatible are the Russian and Chinese ideas about Eurasia, and Eurasian regionalism? In the past few years, Russia has made significant efforts to promote its vision of the international order on the continent, including the formulation and promotion of the very concept of Eurasia in relation to its geopolitical environment. One of the main consumers of these ideas was China, Russia’s key partner and at the same time the objective engine of many processes in the Eurasian transregional space. Have Russian efforts achieved their goals? In the article, we define Eurasia as a social construct, which is an element of foreign policy thinking and be should be accounted for in scientific and expert discussions. A comparative analysis of Russian and Chinese discourses should make it possible to establish, at least in part, the extent to which Beijing has adopted Moscow’s ideas about the development of Eurasian regionalism and how close the understanding, and hence the positions of Russia and China, are on the future international order on the continent or in its separate parts.