(Dan Tri) – China faces a series of both economic and security challenges when a wave of riots breaks out in neighboring Kazakhstan.
Protesters burned vehicles in Kazakhstan (Photo: Reuters).
On January 3, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Just 2 days later, Kazakhstan was engulfed in smoke and fire when a wave of riots broke out due to people protesting increased fuel prices.
Kazakhstan has seen protests before.
During previous outbreaks of protests, Beijing’s top leaders were confident that the Kazakh government could resolve problems along the 1,780 km shared border between the two countries.
A new spiral of riots could threaten China’s important interests.
China considers neighboring Kazakhstan a key country of the Belt and Road Initiative.
China’s concerns
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Beijing in 2019 (Photo: Xinhua).
Prolonged unrest in Kazakhstan could cause economic disaster for other landlocked countries in Central Asia, in a context where these countries are also struggling because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This will seriously affect the land connectivity and energy supply projects of the Belt and Road Initiative, including Turkmenistan’s gas pipeline and Kazakhstan’s oil to China via Xinjiang province.
China is Kazakhstan’s second largest trading partner and the largest importer from the Central Asian country.
Yang Jin, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, warned that if the unstable situation continues in Kazakhstan, Chinese projects in the country may be affected and threatened, including pipelines.
Prolonged unrest in Kazakhstan could also derail efforts to promote bilateral relations and hinder cooperation between the two sides within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, including the comprehensive strategic partnership
China also faces another concern: the prospect of being drawn into providing security in Kazakhstan to protect Chinese investment projects and citizens there.
Shooting amid riots in Kazakhstan
According to a CSTO statement, peacekeeping forces are entering Kazakhstan to `stabilize and normalize the situation within a certain period of time`.
The presence of Russian troops in Kazakhstan raises concerns that President Vladimir Putin is taking advantage of the situation to reassert Russia’s position in countries that once belonged to the former Soviet Union.
Military support is considered not enough to stabilize the situation in Kazakhstan, but more economic support is needed.
Therefore, the responsibility falls on China’s shoulders.
Kazakhstan has now become the latest in the list of countries giving China headaches in Central and South Asia, in addition to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
However, according to SCMP, if Beijing does not provide economic support now, the country may soon have to pay a higher price.
Russia’s `iron fist` solution of sending troops into Kazakhstan may temporarily quell the riots, but the long-term negative effects could lead to direct instability on China’s western border, an area
Experts say that China does not want instability to take place in Central Asia, which is located right next to the country’s gateway, because of concerns that tensions in the region could spread to Xinjiang.
China recently experienced a similar situation in Afghanistan, when the US carried out a hasty, chaotic troop withdrawal last year.
Caroline 
Naomi