China’s Strategy in Central Asia Through the Prism of the Institutionally Governed Co-development Model

The article discusses an analytical model of “institutionally-governed co-development†to explain the mechanisms for shaping and implementing China’s political-economic strategy in Central Asia. It is demonstrated that this model constitutes a hierarchical three-level system. At the strategic level, the top political leadership of the PRC, headed by Xi Jinping and the Politburo, formulates the doctrinal foundations (notably, the “Community of a Shared Future†and five-year plans). At the political-institutional level, these guidelines move into inter-state relations, primarily through the Sino-centric C+C5 format and a differentiated network of bilateral intergovernmental committees. At the executive level, a “national team†of actors (including relevant government bodies, state-owned corporations, policy banks, and sovereign funds) operates to ensure the direct implementation of projects. This model goes beyond the simple “politics leads the economy†formula and functions as “soft project governance†. In this system, high-level political decisions trigger a holistic ecosystem that uses organizational and financial resources to systematically and long-term reshape the region’s geo-economic landscape in accordance with the strategic interests of the PRC.