Opinion | Kazakhstan’s unrest adds to China’s growing list of woes in Central and South Asia
- Kazakhstan is a linchpin of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. To quell deadly riots, Russian troops are now on the ground there
- The crisis is another distraction that Beijing can ill afford amid its strategic rivalry with the US
Just two days later, Kazakhstan was on fire. Deadly riots ignited by a sudden spike in liquefied petroleum gas prices are continuing across what was once considered among the most stable of ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia, and the repercussions may extend beyond its borders.
While the current violence appears to have taken most by surprise, commentators tend to forget that violence in Kazakhstan is nothing new. One of the worst instances of this took place in 2011, in the western city of Zhanaozen, when at least 14 protesters were killed by police after a strike turned violent. Zhanaozen appears to be the epicentre of the current protests over rising fuel prices.
China has not forgotten, however. During past flare-ups, Beijing’s top leaders counted on Nazarbayev to deal with problems along the shared 1,780km (1,110-mile) border between the two countries. Now, however, Kazakhstan has turned to Russia for help.
To worsen matters, this new round threatens an even more vital interest for China: besides being a strategic supplier of natural resources for China, Kazakhstan is also a key access point for the land-based portion of the New Silk Road.
Beijing considers its neighbour a linchpin of its Belt and Road Initiative. It was not by chance that Xi launched the Belt and Road Initiative’s land connection vision while on a state visit to Kazakhstan in 2013.
