Editorial | Kazakhstan in need of more than force
- Crisis-hit Central Asian nation may rely on Beijing and Moscow for help, but in the end its own government has to meet daunting labour and social challenges
Stability is crucial for growth and development, so China has understandably been irked by anti-government riots in its northwestern neighbour, Kazakhstan, with which it shares a 1,780km (1,106 mile) border.
Besides being an important supplier of natural resources, the nation is a crucial link in the Belt and Road Initiative and Chinese companies have invested billions of dollars in projects; in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and continuing tensions with the United States and its allies, the crisis is lamentable.
After days of deadly unrest blamed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on alleged terrorists trained overseas, Russian troops were called on to restore order. Beijing has taken a pragmatic approach, offering help to prevent terrorism, separatism and religious extremism.
Dozens of people have been killed by security forces and thousands arrested. Authorities claim Muslim extremists are involved and mention has been made of a “colour revolution”, suggesting that the United States has been working behind the scenes.
That is unproven and there is no avoiding the reality that the unrest was sparked by a sharp increase in fuel prices and escalated to other issues, including low wages, poor working conditions and growing resentment of the ruling elite.