THE INSTITUTIONAL IMPACT OF THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE ON CHINA–CENTRAL ASIA GREEN ENERGY COOPERATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48371/ISMO.2026.65.3.017Keywords:
China, Central Asia, green energy, Belt and Road Initiative, energy сooperation, sustainable development.Abstract
This study examines the institutional impact of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on green energy cooperation between China and Central Asian states. The BRI is treated not as an international organization or a unified legal regime, but as a multilevel cooperation framework operating through policy guidelines, the China–Central Asia mechanism, energy partnerships, investment and technology projects, and Green Silk Road principles.
The empirical base combines IRENA renewable-capacity statistics for 2015–2024, official Chinese documents on green BRI development, the 2023 Xi’an and 2025 Astana declarations, and national legal acts governing renewable energy in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The comparative design distinguishes installed capacity from actual electricity generation and evaluates institutional mechanisms through policy coordination, legal compatibility, project implementation and risk-management criteria.
The findings show that the BRI’s main institutional effect lies in agenda-setting, intergovernmental coordination, mobilization of technology and investment, and the linkage of multilateral priorities with national regulatory systems. However, substantial differences in energy structures, support mechanisms and legislation across the five Central Asian states prevent the application of a single regional institutional model.
Rather than proposing a new international energy organization, the study recommends gradual institutionalization of the existing China–Central Asia energy partnership through convergence of technical and environmental standards, greater project transparency, pre-arbitration consultation and mediation procedures, and compatibility mechanisms that preserve national regulatory differences. The study’s contribution is to operationalize the BRI’s institutional role through concrete mechanisms and to assess them comparatively across all five Central Asian states.
