The Geopolitical Economy of the China-Led Belt and Road Initiative in the Central and West Asian Countries of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey

This article examines the national and geopolitical economic challenges and opportunities of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Central and West Asian countries, focusing on Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Situated between the rising power of China, the European Union, and Russia, these countries are crucial to the success of the BRI in Eurasia. This article examines the international and transnational activities (i.e., diplomatic, economic, and security activities) of the China-led BRI and related enterprises in two strategic sectors, energy and infrastructure, in the selected countries. The study covers 2000–2022 to compare trends before and after the BRI’s launch in 2013 and employs geopolitical economic theory to examine the emergence, implementation, and challenges of these activities in achieving China’s objectives in Central and West Asia. We conclude that these countries are gradually reorienting their (foreign) policies and economies towards China, which has significant geopolitical and geo-economic implications for the United States and the European Union. However, the BRI must deal with the domestic structural challenges of the host countries (political, socio-economic, and security challenges) and the geopolitical situation. If it can overcome these, sustainable comprehensive regional cooperation with China and its BRI will become a reality.