For years, Russia and China have had a tacit division of labor in the Central Asia: Moscow provided security oversight while Beijing helped develop the area’s economies. The crisis in Kazakhstan shows that Russia still trumps China’s power there.
to Kazakhstan within hours of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s request on Jan. 5. It was only on Monday that China offered security assistance, in a telephone call between its Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Kazakhstan’s top diplomat Mukhtar Tileuberdi. By then, the immediate crisis had passed and Mr. Tokayev’s grip on the country was no longer in peril.
Yet this overt Russian troop deployment in Kazakhstan has also highlighted new risks for Beijing, and may end up spurring China to compete with Russia in regional security matters in coming years, said Dean Cheng, a China expert at the Heritage Foundation think tank. “China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to enhance cooperation between law enforcement and security departments, strengthen bilateral cooperation against external interference, uphold the two countries’ political system and political power security, forestall and foil any attempt at instigating ‘color revolutions,’” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday.
Another regional grouping, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes Central Asian states, Russia and China, doesn’t have a similar military framework, though its members do exchange intelligence and carry out joint counterterrorism training.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia says it's 'disappointed' by U.S. signals before Geneva talksRussia said on Sunday it was 'disappointed' by signals from Washington and Brussels on the eve of talks in Geneva and that the United States was insisting on unilateral Russian concessions, the Interfax and RIA news agencies reported.
Read more »
Prospects Dim as US, Russia Prepare to Meet Over UkraineWith the fate of Ukraine and potentially broader post-Cold War European stability at stake, the United States and Russia are holding critical strategic talks that could shape the future of not only their relationship but the relationship between the U.S. and its NATO allies
Read more »
Earthquake, Magnitude 4.0 - LAKE BAYKAL REGION, RUSSIA - 2022 January 09, 09:04:07 UTCMagnitude: mb 4.0, Region: LAKE BAYKAL REGION, RUSSIA, Date time: 2022-01-09 09:04:07.6 UTC, Location: 52.14 N ; 105.89 E, Depth: 10 km.
Read more »
Pessimism Looms Ahead of U.S.-Russia Talks Over Ukraine and NATOHopes are low ahead of critical talks set to define the fissures in the worsening relationship between the United States and Russia.
Read more »
Europe, U.S. struggle to appear united against Russia as divisions form over UkraineResolving suggestions of disunity between Washington and its European allies is crucial to the talks the U.S. and NATO will have this week with Russia in hopes of averting a conflict over Ukraine, officials and experts say.
Read more »