“China is willing to provide necessary support to Kazakhstan to help Kazakhstan tide over its difficulties. Regardless of the risks and challenges encountered, China is Kazakhstan’s trusted friend and reliable partner,” Xi said.

Russia has sent troops as part of a peacekeeping force deployed by the Moscow-headed Collective Security Treaty Organisation, following a plea from Tokayev, who blamed the unrest on foreign-trained terrorists.

Powerful Kazakhstan ex-leader is main target of protesters’ anger

Pan Guang, the director of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Studies Centre at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Shanghai-based news site Guancha.cn the there was no clear evidence about who or what was behind the unrest, but the “three evils” – a term Beijing uses to refer to terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism – “are probably among them”.

“Of course, for Kazakhstan, the ‘three evils’ are mainly terrorism and extremism, and the separatist momentum is not very obvious.”

Kazakhstan, an oil-rich state long viewed as a bastion of stability in Central Asia, shares a 1,700km (1,060-mile) border with China, and economic ties between the two countries have been growing in recent years.

02:14

Dozens reportedly killed by security forces in Kazakhstan as protesters storm government buildings

Dozens reportedly killed by security forces in Kazakhstan as protesters storm government buildings

Kazakhstan has not provided evidence to support its claims that the uprising was foreign inspired and the United States has dismissed suggestions it is driving the protests.

Russia sends troops to Kazakhstan as ‘dozens’ killed in unrest

Some Chinese media outlets, including the nationalist tabloid Global Times, have suggested that Western forces are plotting a “colour revolution”.

Pan said that was unlikely but there were precedents in Central Asia and added that external forces might intervene if the unrest continued.

“It is expected that at least Kazakhstan will be accused of suppressing public demonstrations and protests,” Pan said.

China’s official response has been cautious. Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday that China supported the authorities in Kazakhstan in restoring order and opposed external interference.

Wang said China would support the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – a security bloc consisting of China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four other Central Asian nations – playing a role in resolving the crisis.

In the first 10 months of 2021, the bilateral trade volume between China and Kazakhstan reached US$20.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of 14 per cent, Jiang Wei, the country’s consul General in Almaty, told state news agency Xinhua on Sunday.

Jiang also said China was Kazakhstan’s second-largest trading partner and became its largest export destination for the first time last year.

Kazakhstan jails China expert for 10 years for treason

Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the unrest was a threat to China’s investments, at least in the short term.

“If the unrest further expands, there will be more impact and threats. We must be wary about our projects with Kazakhstan, for example the infrastructure of oil and gas pipelines and other major projects may be destroyed,” Yang said.

Feng Shaolei, director of Centre for Russian Studies at East China Normal University, said China should keep a close watch on the spillover, but the CSTO intervention had helped to get the situation under control.

02:31

Kazakhstan government resigns amid massive protests over high fuel prices

Kazakhstan government resigns amid massive protests over high fuel prices

Noting the unrest was triggered by the surging prices of fuel, Feng also said China should treat it as a lesson.

“The sudden outbreak of unrest in Kazakhstan should be seen as a motivation and a warning for China to improve governance,” Feng said.