Description
Sino-Uzbekistani relations represent both an exception in terms of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy and common views on China’s cooperation with developing countries. As for the first, China managed to maintain stable relations with erratic President Islam Karimov, while other great powers failed, becoming the country’s main trade partner and one of the larger investors in Uzbekistan’s economy, as well as an important associated in the field of security. Moreover, explanations in terms of dependency on China do not hold, as both in its security and economic relations with great powers, Uzbekistan has maintained an approach at times balanced and at times isolationist. Through an analysis of foreign policy communication and more than 40 expert and elite interviews during three months of fieldwork in Uzbekistan, this research traced the causal mechanisms that led to the success of Sino-Uzbekistani cooperation. The paper examines the political, cultural-historical and behavioural aspects of Sino-Uzbekistani relations and inverts the usual direction of studies on China’s influence by focusing on the role and agency of China’s partners in shaping their cooperation with the People’s Republic. The core contribution centres on Uzbekistan’s perception of agency in its relations with the PRC and the agential tools that enable it.
