Challenges and opportunities for the spatial development of Eurasia under the BRI: the case of the Eurasian Economic Union

In the light of the ‘pairing’ of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU/EAEU), this research finds that China’s planned economic corridors largely complement the regional development strategies of three EAEU member states. In Russia, BRI initiatives may bolster the development of south Siberian regions, foster transit flows in the Russian Far East and improve transborder connectivity. In Kazakhstan, direct links between the European Union and China help overcome the historical lack of east–west infrastructures and create a new population hub around Khorgos on the China–Kazakhstan border. To avoid mixed effects in Kyrgyzstan, east–west transit infrastructure projects should be combined with modernization of north–south linkages.