Authors
Frank Maracchione1; 1 University of Sheffield, UK Discussion
With the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Uzbekistan entered the Chinese radar and the countries have maintained stable and constructive relations ever since. The endurance of Sino-Uzbekistani relations is compatible with the multilateral attitude of Uzbekistan’s current President Shavkat Mirziyoev, but clashes with foreign policy under former president Islam Karimov (1991-2016). Karimov’s foreign policy was extremely fluctuant in terms of foreign relations, participation in international organisations and was characterised by rapid shifts in response to international events. Sino-Uzbek relations represent both an exception in terms of Uzbekistani foreign policy and dependence on China. On one side, China managed to maintain stable relations with erratic President Islam Karimov. On the other hand, explanations in terms of dependency on China do not hold, as both in its security and economic relations with great powers, Uzbekistan has maintained an approach at times balanced and at times isolationist. Through analysis of foreign policy communication and interviews during fieldwork, this research traces the causal mechanisms that led to the success of Sino-Uzbekistani cooperation by analysing political, cultural and behavioural instances. The findings challenge the literature on China's influence on Central Asia by debunking the hierarchical nature of the contruction of cooperation mechanisms through a focus on Uzbekistan's perception of agency. 
