Yes South Korea and Taïwan have link with Russia see the target of their direct outflow. Your article is from Janauray 2013 and didnt even look at the Eurasian Union that was setup in 2014. Yes already this article on TE
The issue is that both Russia and Central Asia see China as a market. And in that respect, there is no conflict.
For Russia and China today in Central Asia, the word “co-operation” is far better an operative than “rivalry” out of economic and political necessity if nothing else, and in spite of national diversity and value difference beholden in the region. IMO:
Culturally, Central Asian countries are more Russian than Chinese in terms of languages and some customs acquired over the years as part of former USSR.
Ethnically, Central Asian countries are more Chinese than Russian in terms of the Mongol mix. They are definitely less Viking or Slavic than Russians are.
Religiously, Central Asian countries are more Chinese than Russian in terms of Muslim faith. (Within Chinese there are about 20 million Uighur Muslims and 20 million Hui Muslims).
Economically, Central Asian countries are more out of the planned and compartmented USSR days than the more free-trading pursued by today’s China and Russia.
As such, it’s fitting and significant that Shanghai Cooperation Organization nations (“SCO, 上海合作组织” of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) made a point at the SCO Summit just held on September 13, 2013, for the first time that SCO has unanimously decided to revitalize a modern day Silk Road reconnecting Asia and Europe through Central Asian steppes commercially, and to establish a SCO development bank to further such end.
For such efforts, there’s everything to gain and nothing to lose by each Central Asian nation including the SCO members and SCO Observer or Dialogue nations like Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey. It is also of interest to note, following Mr. Xi’s inauguration the production of world’s second-biggest gasfield Galkynysh in Turkmenistan, its President flew to Japan for yet more FDI investment.
As such there is no reason to construe zero sum rivalry between Russia and China, and there’s even less ground to take purported “Sino phobia resentment" to heart, being so unwittingly otherwise highlighted in this article.