THE GEOPOLITICAL POWER
SHIFT IN EURASIA: A NEW
WORLD ORDER?
PRESENTER: JACQUELINE CICCHINI
MENTOR: NORMAN GRAHAM, PH.D.
DEPT. JAMES MADISON AND CERES
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST
LANSING
OUTLINE
Road-map and organization of talk.
• Purpose?
• Who?
• What?
• Evidence
• Data
• Conclusion
PURPOSE?
To understand China’s role in Eurasia and implications for
the future global order in terms of economic and political
power
RESEARCH
QUESTION(S)
• 1) Is China’s increasing economic and institutional
dominance a threat to Central Eurasia?
• 2) What role does Russia play in China’s rise? Is Russia’s
power being weakened or strengthened?
BACKGROUND
• Soviet Russia
• Russian Revolution, 1917
• Influence of communism around the world  socialist bloc
governments
• 1922: Union of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Transcaucasian
Republics
• Structure & Politics
• One party political system, largest state in the world (8.6 million
square miles)
• Planned economy, strong railway and transport system
• Strongest nation both politically and economically in Eurasia
BACKGROUND[…]
• Russia Today
• Less control for Russia
• Collapse of USSR
• Some soviet nations established established sovereignty
• No longer economically dominant, China is major player
• Market force based
• Abundant natural resources such as oil/gas
• EU Sanctions have hurt Russia’s trading ability and financial
stability
• Battered economy
• Increase in interest rates by 17%
• Capitol outflows, falling oil prices, lack of access to foreign
markets and demographic problems
SHIFT IN POWER
CHINA
• After Mao’s communist regime…
• Market-socialism, government no longer in control of all
businesses; however, maintains strong central government
• Increased trade relationship with post-Soviet countries
• Historically Russian dominated
• Infrastructure development and investment
• Sign of changing power in Central Eurasia
CHINA - RUSSIA
• “If the Russian side needs it, we will provide
necessary assistance within our capacity” – Xi
Jinping
• “The role of Ukraine, as a transit country, will
be reduced to zero…Gazprom has de facto
abandoned Ukraine as a transit party” –
Gazprom CEO
THE SILK ROAD ‘ONE
BELT ONE ROAD’
• Trade & Investment
• “I believe that 2015 will provide the development of the ‘One
Belt One Road’ is an initiative primarily raised by China, it is
fundamentally open and inclusive in nature” – China’s Minister
of Commerce, Gao Hucheng
• What is China doing?
• November 2014: Pledged $40 billion to set up a silk road
fund to improve connectivity across Asia by investing in
infrastructure, resources and industrial and financial
cooperation
• $54.7 billion to areas and regions in Central and South
Asia
• Energy, railway, and highway infrastructures
GAS AND PIPELINE
DEALS
• Russian-Gas deal
• 30 year agreement to start in 2018
• Up to 68 bcm of Russian gas to be delivered to China
annually
• $350-400 per cubic meter
• Possible Routes are Altai pipeline and power of Siberia
pipeline
• “New Natural Gas Cooperation Alliance”
• Altai Pipeline
• Gazprom to supply 30 billion cubic meters per year for 30
years from Western Siberia to Northwest China
• When?: Starting in 2019
OIL AND GAS GRAPH
GAS INVESTMENT
GRAPH
MULTILATERAL
AGREEMENTS
• Asia Pacific Free Trade Deal
• Shanghai Cooperation Organization
• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
• Alternative to World Bank
• Been approached by 27 prospective founding members with
the UK, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and Switzerland
• Start? By end of 2015
• “Austria has already had close economic and political ties with the
Asian region and is always so far very positive about international
projects” – Johannes Frischmann, a spokesman for Finance
Minister Hans Joerg Schelling
SO WHAT?
CONCLUSION
• China’s rise with its continued streak of economic
dominance should be viewed as a threat to Central Eurasia
• Why?
• Regional alliances neighboring China should be wary of
measures taken to build international alliances
• Russia is losing power and credibility in the region and
relying on China for economic support
• Now what?
• Needs to reconsider the anti-West rhetoric, this could help lift
sanctions imposed by EU
REFERENCES
• http://www.eurasiareview.com/15122014-russian-risks-rise-china-energy-deals-
analysis/
• http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Russia-and-Chinas-Growing-Energy-
Relationship.html
• http://www.globalresearch.ca/russia-and-china-the-dawning-of-a-new-monetary-
system/5423637
• http://rt.com/business/233051-russia-china-boost-partnership/
• http://www.iss.europa.eu/publications/detail/article/china-setting-the-agendas/
• http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?lng=en&id=188638
• http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-
Library/Publications/Detail/?lng=en&v33=118574&ots627=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24-
a6a8c7060233&id=189360
• http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21639557-russian-economy-will-take-long-
time-recover-it-badly-needs-structural-reforms-it
• http://rt.com/business/242533-russia-china-eastern-route/
• http://rt.com/business/243753-austria-china-infrastructure-bank/
• http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2015-03/25/content_19908124.htm
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• This project was made possible by
Michigan State University
• Special thank you to my faculty advisor
Professor Graham for his dedication to
research in Eurasian politics and
guidance through the process of my own
research
QUESTIONS?

UURAF Presentation FINAL

  • 1.
    THE GEOPOLITICAL POWER SHIFTIN EURASIA: A NEW WORLD ORDER? PRESENTER: JACQUELINE CICCHINI MENTOR: NORMAN GRAHAM, PH.D. DEPT. JAMES MADISON AND CERES MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST LANSING
  • 2.
    OUTLINE Road-map and organizationof talk. • Purpose? • Who? • What? • Evidence • Data • Conclusion
  • 3.
    PURPOSE? To understand China’srole in Eurasia and implications for the future global order in terms of economic and political power
  • 4.
    RESEARCH QUESTION(S) • 1) IsChina’s increasing economic and institutional dominance a threat to Central Eurasia? • 2) What role does Russia play in China’s rise? Is Russia’s power being weakened or strengthened?
  • 5.
    BACKGROUND • Soviet Russia •Russian Revolution, 1917 • Influence of communism around the world  socialist bloc governments • 1922: Union of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Transcaucasian Republics • Structure & Politics • One party political system, largest state in the world (8.6 million square miles) • Planned economy, strong railway and transport system • Strongest nation both politically and economically in Eurasia
  • 6.
    BACKGROUND[…] • Russia Today •Less control for Russia • Collapse of USSR • Some soviet nations established established sovereignty • No longer economically dominant, China is major player • Market force based • Abundant natural resources such as oil/gas • EU Sanctions have hurt Russia’s trading ability and financial stability • Battered economy • Increase in interest rates by 17% • Capitol outflows, falling oil prices, lack of access to foreign markets and demographic problems
  • 7.
    SHIFT IN POWER CHINA •After Mao’s communist regime… • Market-socialism, government no longer in control of all businesses; however, maintains strong central government • Increased trade relationship with post-Soviet countries • Historically Russian dominated • Infrastructure development and investment • Sign of changing power in Central Eurasia
  • 8.
    CHINA - RUSSIA •“If the Russian side needs it, we will provide necessary assistance within our capacity” – Xi Jinping • “The role of Ukraine, as a transit country, will be reduced to zero…Gazprom has de facto abandoned Ukraine as a transit party” – Gazprom CEO
  • 9.
    THE SILK ROAD‘ONE BELT ONE ROAD’ • Trade & Investment • “I believe that 2015 will provide the development of the ‘One Belt One Road’ is an initiative primarily raised by China, it is fundamentally open and inclusive in nature” – China’s Minister of Commerce, Gao Hucheng • What is China doing? • November 2014: Pledged $40 billion to set up a silk road fund to improve connectivity across Asia by investing in infrastructure, resources and industrial and financial cooperation • $54.7 billion to areas and regions in Central and South Asia • Energy, railway, and highway infrastructures
  • 10.
    GAS AND PIPELINE DEALS •Russian-Gas deal • 30 year agreement to start in 2018 • Up to 68 bcm of Russian gas to be delivered to China annually • $350-400 per cubic meter • Possible Routes are Altai pipeline and power of Siberia pipeline • “New Natural Gas Cooperation Alliance” • Altai Pipeline • Gazprom to supply 30 billion cubic meters per year for 30 years from Western Siberia to Northwest China • When?: Starting in 2019
  • 11.
  • 12.
  • 13.
    MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS • Asia PacificFree Trade Deal • Shanghai Cooperation Organization • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank • Alternative to World Bank • Been approached by 27 prospective founding members with the UK, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and Switzerland • Start? By end of 2015 • “Austria has already had close economic and political ties with the Asian region and is always so far very positive about international projects” – Johannes Frischmann, a spokesman for Finance Minister Hans Joerg Schelling
  • 14.
  • 15.
    CONCLUSION • China’s risewith its continued streak of economic dominance should be viewed as a threat to Central Eurasia • Why? • Regional alliances neighboring China should be wary of measures taken to build international alliances • Russia is losing power and credibility in the region and relying on China for economic support • Now what? • Needs to reconsider the anti-West rhetoric, this could help lift sanctions imposed by EU
  • 16.
    REFERENCES • http://www.eurasiareview.com/15122014-russian-risks-rise-china-energy-deals- analysis/ • http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Russia-and-Chinas-Growing-Energy- Relationship.html •http://www.globalresearch.ca/russia-and-china-the-dawning-of-a-new-monetary- system/5423637 • http://rt.com/business/233051-russia-china-boost-partnership/ • http://www.iss.europa.eu/publications/detail/article/china-setting-the-agendas/ • http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?lng=en&id=188638 • http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital- Library/Publications/Detail/?lng=en&v33=118574&ots627=0c54e3b3-1e9c-be1e-2c24- a6a8c7060233&id=189360 • http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21639557-russian-economy-will-take-long- time-recover-it-badly-needs-structural-reforms-it • http://rt.com/business/242533-russia-china-eastern-route/ • http://rt.com/business/243753-austria-china-infrastructure-bank/ • http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2015-03/25/content_19908124.htm
  • 17.
    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS • This projectwas made possible by Michigan State University • Special thank you to my faculty advisor Professor Graham for his dedication to research in Eurasian politics and guidance through the process of my own research
  • 18.