Search

Kazakh government treads a fine line between staying friendly with Beijing and protecting the interests of its co-ethnics in Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the trial for ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizen Sayragul Sauytbay in Kazakhstan for illegally crossing the border into the country. Topics mentioned include her request that she should not be sent back to China due to punishment that awaits her in the country after her revelation of re-education camp, the foreign relations of Kazakhstan and China, and the claim by an ethnic Kazakh that Chinese officials were under orders to detain Kazakhs and Uighurs each week.

The article reports on an urgent request expressed by the Foreign Ministry Kazakhstan to China for an objective and fair review of affairs and the release of ethnic Kazakhs imprisoned in China's western Xinjiang province. Topics discussed include claims that radical Muslim Uighurs have killed hundreds in recent years, the internment centers for Muslims opened by Chinese authorities in Xinjiang in 2017, and former internees' stories of brutal treatment in the camps.

The article discusses the increasing influence of China in Central Asian countries and how Chinese policies are challenging U.S. and Russian influence in the region. Topics include the reasons for the military presence of China in Tajikistan which includes Uighur militants, how China is testing Russia's dominance in the security and economic areas of Central Asia, and the economic investments being made in Central Asia by China through projects such as the Belt and Road infrastructural program.