Beijing (AP) — China verbally supported Kazakhstan’s leaders’ deadly crackdown to calm violent anxiety, but set aside as Russia dispatched special forces.
Resource-rich Kazakhstan on China’s western border is of economic and strategic importance to Beijing and is a “One Belt, One Road” infrastructure to expand world trade and political influence in competition with the United States and its allies. An important link to the initiative.
China’s response to the crisis emphasizes how it prefers to influence outcomes with verbal guarantees and offers of support without the involvement of the military.
Rana Mitter, a Chinese expert at Oxford University, said:
“But China is very reluctant to deploy PLA outside its territory, except in areas such as UN peacekeeping operations. Unlike the United States, China does not intervene in conflicts in other countries. It contradicts the usual statement, “Mitter said.
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What are China’s goals in Central Asia?
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, China has steadily expanded its economic and political influence in what Russia considers to be its backyard. Kazakhstan is important as the largest and wealthiest nation in Central Asia and acts as a buckle for China’s Belt and Road initiative, whose authoritarian politics is elsewhere in Ukraine and China’s ridicule as Westerners. Acts as a breakwater against the democratic movement of the United States. Designed “color revolution”.
China’s ruling Communist Party, which violently suppressed its challenge to democratization in 1989, sees such a move as a threat to its stability, whether in Georgia or Hong Kong. In a message to Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Kaev, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said, “We are determined to oppose external forces that deliberately cause confusion in Kazakhstan and incite a” color revolution. “
China’s position is consistent with strong opposition to external criticism of its policy, whether it is China’s human rights record or a vast territorial claim in the South China Sea, for interfering with domestic affairs.
However, China’s influence in Central Asia is still limited, and given China’s harsh treatment of Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities within the border, Kazakhs are worried about their invitation to Chinese troops. Maybe, said Steve Tsang, director of the university’s China Institute. School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
“A key element of China’s foreign policy under the west is to secure the world for authoritarian nations and prevent the color revolution from spreading,” Tsang said.
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When will China intervene?
China often vows retaliation for criticisms of its policies, especially if the criminals are the United States and its allies. It is much more friendly with dictators and promises non-interference and cooperation with those in power, regardless of their records of human rights and corruption.
It is evidenced by deals with governments criticized by others, from Myanmar’s military leaders to Hungary’s Victor Oban. Not aware of the Taliban, but working with the current Afghan ruler to hedge bets in Afghanistan. A narrow border with Afghanistan and a much larger border with Kazakhstan.
China is generally prepared for cases where its security is seen as threatened, as in the Korean War of 1950-53, or more recently, in violent incidents along the conflict border with India, especially Taiwan. Reserve, military and other actions. If China does not agree to unite, it threatens to invade. When small Baltic countries broke the diplomatic treaty, Beijing responded with ruthless trade and diplomatic retaliation against Lithuania, and Taiwan opened a representative office in Vilnius under the name “Taiwan” instead of “Taipei in China”. Allowed that.
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How does China view the military alliance?
Armies, mainly from Russia, were deployed in Kazakhstan last week. Collective Security Treaty OrganizationAt the request of the President, in unprecedented violence, a group of six former Soviet nations. China has officially avoided such security alliances, but the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which Beijing controls with Moscow, has a security element and is currently limited to joint training and other non-combat missions. There is.
Unlike CSTO, China’s international security expert, Lee Wei, said, “There is no agreement to send troops from SCO member countries.” “In addition, China does not use force in other countries. We are sticking to the principles. “
UN peacekeeping operations remain a rare exception, and we quickly point out that China is the largest contributor to such a mission among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Given China’s growing military power, some experts hope that Beijing will be more open to military intervention in the future. Oxford Mitter also points out the growing “gray zone” of Chinese private security companies that can be used to protect China’s interests “without formal government intervention.”