Abstract
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) plays an important role in the formation of strategic interconnectivity between the regions of South and Central Asia. Chinese institutional development, which began in the mid-2010s with the introduction of the transport and logistics strategy of the Belt and Road Initiative, has formed new geo-economic and institutional mechanisms. At present, there exists geopolitical and geostrategic relevance in the formation and development of a new transport and logistics route, which may seriously affect the new functionality of CPEC. The development of CPEC plays an important geostrategic role, as it may lead to an increase in strategic interconnectivity between South and Central Asia, two regions that have historically been socially and culturally interconnected. The article examines the formation of new prospects for CPEC. This project possesses significant potential for Central Asia as a new geo-economic mechanism, which may lead to an increase in trade turnover between the two regions and to the formation of a new macro-regional security cluster. The article examines the development and formation of this process through the prism of the Regional Security Complex Theory of the Copenhagen School of International Relations and identifies the main challenges and prospects for the development and influence of CPEC in new geopolitical realities. Key words: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Regional Connectivity, Central Asia, South Asia, China, Institutionalisation.