China in the World Order: security and bilateralism

Despite the substantial body of work on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, there remains nonetheless a notable gap in the literature concerning the influence of these organisations on regional security dynamics. This study aims to fill this gap by providing a detailed examination of how the SCO and CSTO influence security dynamics in Central Asia, with a particular focus on the relationship between China and Russia. In this sense, we consider that the analysis of the Central Asian countries’ relationship with Beijing and Moscow, together with the Sino-Russian relationship itself, is best perceived through a middle approach between anarchy (advocated by realism and neorealism) and pacifism and ethics (prescribed by liberalism). Thus, the Agency in its constructivist perspective is our chosen conceptual lens to analyse the security dynamics in Central Asia, characterised by an interplay of cooperation and competition. Having said this, we propose to answer the following research question: How do the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation influence security dynamics in Central Asia in the light of the Sino-Russian relationship? Our conclusions suggest that the security landscape of Central Asia is heavily influenced by the interplay of cooperation and competition between Moscow and Beijing. While the SCO and CSTO provide platforms for collective security and economic development, their member states’ different priorities may lead to varying degrees of effectiveness in addressing regional challenges.