Editor's Note: This article is part of an ongoing RANE series on the shifting patterns of global trade. The first installment provided a broad overview of the geopolitical and economic implications of these shifts. Other installments have examined the Americas , the Strait of Hormuz , Japan and South Korea , India , Turkey , Congo , ASEAN countries , data flows , Mercosur , maritime chokepoints ( part one and part two ), digital trade , East Africa ( part one and part two ), and de-dollarization . Central Asia's strategic location between Russia, China and Europe will enhance its role in evolving Eurasian trade routes, but rival agendas, uneven financing, weak regional coordination, and governance and security risks will limit the region's rise as a true continental hub.