The collection of scientific papers includes materials from participants in an international seminar within the framework of the RSF project "Central Asia in International Relations of the Kh?ІІІ - KhІKh Centuries." The works of the collection highlight the plans of the Russian Empire for the development of the Steppe, their substantive and practical components; the geopolitical plans of the eastern and western countries for Central Asia are analyzed; interaction and at the same time confrontation between Russia, China, Iran in the Central Asian region is considered.