| ID | 147192 |
| Title Proper | Resumption of Sino–Central Asian trade, c. 1983–94 |
| Other Title Information | confidence building and reform along a Cold War fault line |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Karrar, Hasan H |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The resumption of trade across the Sino–Central Asian border in 1983 accompanied a gradual thaw in relations between China and the Soviet Union. This paper argues that: (1) Economic liberalization in China (alongside the Soviet Union) created a climate encouraging cross-border exchange. (2) Starting in 1983, improving relations between China and the Soviet Union permitted cross-border exchange in Central Asia; over the subsequent decade, trade volume served as a marker of bilateral relations. (3) Beginning in 1990, efforts by the Chinese leadership to accelerate reform in North-West China, coupled with the independence of Central Asian republics, led to a rapid increase in trade. Hence, the resumption of Sino–Central Asian trade was not grounded in meta-geographical projections – Silk Road, New Silk Road, Silk Road Economic Belt, Eurasian Continental Bridge – but determined by political and economic transitions in the two countries, accompanied by normalizing bilateral relations. |
| `In' analytical Note | Central Asian Survey Vol. 35, No.3; Sep 2016: p.334-350 |
| Journal Source | Central Asian Survey Vol: 35 No 3 |
| Key Words | Confidence building ; Reform Era ; State Measures ; Commercial Exchange |