카자흐스탄의 대외정책 특성 연구

A Study on the Characteristics of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Policy: Focusing on the US and China

Kazakhstan has achieved rapid economic growth since its independence thanks to abundant resources and open-door policy among Central Asian countries. It has especially implemented multi-vector foreign policy through its geopolitical advantage. It does not rely only on Russia, but works in various organizations around the world with countries such as the United States and China. The United States aims to stabilize the Afghan region through giving support to the control of radicalism, arms non-proliferation policy, and drug trafficking crackdowns in Central Asia. It also wants to keep China and Russia in check by maintaining a stable energy supply line that is exported to the West via Kazakhstan. China, on the other hand, gains benefits from its geographical proximity to Kazakhstan. In China’s One Belt One Road policy, Kazakhstan is a bridgehead that enables China to advance westward. The international community has been paying attention to the recent hegemonic competition between the United States and China. As a result, Kazakhstan, which has been in a friendly relationship with the G2, is apprehensive because of the damage caused by worsening US-China relations. Considering the influence of changes in US-China relations on Kazakhstan, this study investigates the direction of Kazakhstan’s relations with the US and China and its foreign policy.