The seminar “China, Russia, Japan – Impact and Role in Eurasia“, organised by the Center for Asian and Far Eastern Studies at FPS and the Institute for Asian Studies, was held at the Faculty of Political Science on February 25, 2020.
Participants of the seminar were Masuda Masayuki and Dr Yamazoe Hiroshi from the National Defense Institute in Japan, Dr Aleksandar Mitic, President of the Center for Strategic Alternatives in Belgrade, Dr Dusan Prorokovic, Head of the Center for Eurasian Studies IMPP, Borislav Korkodelovic journalist and editor, prof. Dr Dragana Mitrovic, Head of CAFES and IAS and Slobodan Popovic, PhD candidate at the Faculty of Political Science.
Professor Dr Dragana Mitrovic welcomed the attendees and emphasised that the concept of Eurasia is not new in the field of international politics, as indicated by many debates on the dominant understanding of geography and the separation of Europe and Asia in general. “After the collapse of the USSR, Eurasia regained importance and became the scene of geopolitical competition,” Prof. Mitrovic said. “This is an important and complex topic, increasingly important for Serbia, and important for the whole world, which is not given enough attention, and I hope that through such meetings and academic exchange, we will contribute to the exchange, better understanding and adoption of new ways of thinking about the impact of these state in Eurasia, ” Prof. Mitrovic emphasised
According to Borislav Korkodelovic, interest in Eurasia has been growing in recent years, and the question that has always been asked is whether Eurasia is one or two continents. “The Eurasian phenomenon in the new world contains two dimensions – the first one is economic dimension and the second, much more important one, is the process of political integration of the institutions of Asia and Europe,” Korkodelovic said. He added that Kazakhstan is one of the “crucial states”, serving as critical intermediaries between the various great powers, acting as gateways between different blocs of states, regional associations and civilisational groups. “Although some of the Central Asian countries are small, they can still be important for global security and contribute to the regional order’s coherence, highlighting the special importance and potential of Kazakhstan as a ‘cornerstone’ of Eurasian integration,” Korkodelovic said.
Masuda Masayuki said that China’s policy approach in Central Asia in recent years could be linked to the Economic Belt of the BRI, which had three objectives – economy, geopolitical stability and global governance reform. “In the context of the economy and global governance reform, China is using its productive capacity to build a new international order,” Masuda said. He explained that the new security architecture in Eurasia also entails the establishment of a forum relating to the building of cooperation in the field of security forces, particularly the police, including their training in China, as well as the purchase of Chinese equipment. “This kind of seminar certainly raises awareness of the importance of this topic and the understanding of the different points of view each of these countries have regarding the position and role of Eurasia,” Masuda said.
Dr Yamazoe Hiroshi stated that the main goal for understanding the relations within Eurasia is to understand the dynamics of China’s relations with Central Asian countries. “Within the Eurasian countries, it is clear that China should have the best contact with Russia, which is crucial to develop further and examine the communication between the two countries,” Yamazoe said. He referred to the historical events in the region, saying that these events are the reason for China’s efforts to make constructive economic and political decisions regarding Central Asian countries. “There are many similarities and differences in the two countries approach to Eurasia, but in recent years, China and Russia have tended to raise public awareness of a new era of stable relations,” Dr Yamazoe concluded.
The president of the Center for Strategic Alternatives in Belgrade, Dr Aleksandar Mitic, said that because of Russia’s efforts to expand its influence in the East of Asia and to improve its own Far East, it is essential to develop an excellent strategic alliance with the PRC. “Many opinions point to the positive outcome of China-Russia cooperation, while on the other hand, there are those who argue that their cooperation may be compromised because of the relationship each one has with Central Asian countries,” Aleksandar Mitic said.
The director of the Center for Eurasian Studies of IMPP, Dr Dusan Prorokovic, believes that there is no basis on which only Kazakhstan from the Central Asian countries would be classified as a “crucial country” in existing initiatives and regional integrations. He added that no objective public opinion polls have been seen in the country so far and that older and younger generations have different attitudes towards integrations and potential major partners. “When it comes to extending Chinese influence to the rest of Eurasia, I note that China is trying to develop a dynamic geopolitical approach,” Dr Prorokovic said.
The seminar was continued with questions and comments addressed by the students. The dynamic and fruitful discussion was followed by taking a joint photo at the request of Japanese experts.