The Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, held last week in Beijing, functioned as a platform for China to communicate its BRI and Silk Road aspirations. Multiple mentions of railway development and the central role that China assigned to Kazakhstan and the Middle Corridor in this regard highlight a new Eurasian status that the superpower aims to establish, in which Russia could likely have a smaller part to play. Bilateral meetings during the forum and signed agreements point towards this direction.