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On January 6, at an airport in Ivanovo in Russia, Russian military vehicles are ready to be loaded on to a military cargo plane on their way to Kazakhstan. A Moscow-led military alliance sent troops to help quell mounting unrest in Kazakhstan. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry/AFP
ChinaDiplomacy

In the face of US-Russia tension, China backs Moscow’s troop deployment to Kazakhstan

  • Wang Yi tells Sergey Lavrov Beijing supports Russian aid to crack down on violent, terrorist forces on precondition of respect for ‘Kazakhstan’s sovereignty’
  • The China-Belarus relationship is also in the spotlight, with Xi Jinping assuring Alexander Lukashenko their two countries should work together more closely
Central Asia
Amber Wang
Amber Wangin Beijing
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Beijing has pledged its support for Russia sending troops to Kazakhstan and for China to deepen coordination with Russia in global affairs, as tensions between Moscow and Washington escalate.
The assurances by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi came as the United States questioned the deployment of Russian troops in both Kazakhstan and over Russia’s border with Ukraine.

In a phone conversation on Monday, Wang told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that China supported the Moscow-headed Collective Security Treaty Organisation in helping Kazakhstan crack down on violent and terrorist forces on the precondition of “respecting Kazakhstan’s sovereignty”.

Wang said the CSTO “plays a positive role in restoring stability in Kazakhstan”.

04:08

Order restored in Kazakhstan after week of unrest, Russian troops to stay for ‘limited time’

Order restored in Kazakhstan after week of unrest, Russian troops to stay for ‘limited time’
Russia sent thousands of troops to Kazakhstan within hours of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s request, while Beijing said it would work with Kazakhstan to improve security cooperation.

“China and Russia, as permanent members of the UN Security Council and friendly neighbours of Central Asian countries, should never allow chaos or war to erupt in the region,” Wang told Lavrov.

The two sides should continue to deepen coordination and cooperation, oppose interference by external forces in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries, and guard against “colour revolutions” and the “three forces” of terrorism, separatism and extremism, Wang said.

Russia-led troops to begin leaving Kazakhstan in two days: President Tokayev

Wang also said China and Russia should support the Beijing-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which vowed on the weekend to intervene in the Kazakhstan unrest if needed, and for the CSTO to bolster coordination and cooperation to tackle challenges to regional security.

Tokayev called the violence in his country – which has led to the death of more than 160 people and the arrest of nearly 10,000 – a coup attempt, with Islamist militants from regional nations and Afghanistan, as well as the Middle East, among the attackers.

In a speech to an online meeting of the CSTO military alliance by video link on Monday, he said order had been restored in Kazakhstan, but that the hunt for “terrorists” was continuing.

04:08

Russian troops arrive in Kazakhstan as president issues ‘fire without warning’ order

Russian troops arrive in Kazakhstan as president issues ‘fire without warning’ order
The pledge by Wang came as Washington questioned the deployment of Russian troops in Kazakhstan, and as the US and Russia undertake a series of talks this week to tackle growing tensions over Russia’s possible invasion of Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Kazakhstan would find it difficult to reduce Russian influence after inviting troops in to quell unrest. Blinken also said he did not expect to see progress in relations with Russia as long as tensions on the Ukraine border remained high.

Beijing has been stepping up ties with Russia in the past year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed he would attend the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in a show of unity with China. Wang said China would steadfastly deepen strategic coordination “back to back” with Russia, safeguard the “legitimate rights and interests of both sides” and maintain world peace and stability.

UN complains to Kazakhstan after troops seen wearing UN helmets

China is also pushing for closer ties with Belarus, which is backed by Russia and has been isolated by the West and recently sanctioned by the US, European Union, Britain and Canada over the migrant crisis on the EU’s border with Belarus, which Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was accused of orchestrating.

In a phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Lukashenko on Monday, Xi said China was ready to work with Belarus to enhance political trust, boost cooperation and oppose external forces interfering in Belarusian affairs.

Speaking about Kazakhstan last week, Xi said Beijing opposed any attempts by foreign forces to stir up trouble in its neighbour and any attempts to cause a rift between the two countries.

The building of Kazakhstan’s ruling party, the Nur Otan, was damaged after clashes in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. Photo: AP Photo

Zhu Yongbiao, a Central Asia affairs expert at Lanzhou University, said China’s support for Russia’s military engagement in Kazakhstan and its pursuit of cooperation with the Kremlin, stemmed from its own economic and security needs within its own country and in Central Asia.

China worried that Western interference might be spilling to other nations and that the West would support more protests in other nations, he said.

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