Central Asia: China to school Kyrgyz security officers on crackdown tactics
A bulletin of recent developments in Chinese-Central Asian affairs.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Interior Ministry representatives have returned from a tour of China’s Xinjiang Province, where Chinese officials gave a tutorial on crowd control and “anti-terrorist” crackdowns.
A Kyrgyz Interior Ministry statement said the delegation, led by Deputy Minister Oktyabr Urmambetov, was in Xinjiang from June 19-23. At the conclusion of the visit, representatives of both countries signed a memorandum under which Xinjiang security officials “will conduct and organize training for [Kyrgyz] employees of police districts adjacent to the border.”
The Kyrgyz delegation got tips on building a better surveillance state. According to the Interior Ministry statement, Kyrgyz security officials had opportunities “to study new achievements in the digitalization of the Chinese police, to familiarize themselves with the work of the police using unmanned aerial vehicles, to study methods of combating religious extremism … [and] familiarization with the actions and methods and means used by the police during mass riots.”
Chinese officials also staged riot-control exercises for the Kyrgyz visitors, demonstrating “the work of a special forces detachment (special forces), as well as public order services, and their actions during riots.”
Xinjiang has become by-word in recent years for repression. Chinese authorities are conducting an ongoing crackdown against members of Muslim minority groups, claiming the campaign is aimed at containing extremism. Chinese Muslims maintain the crackdown is designed to destroy Muslim cultural identity/traditions in China. According to some estimates, upwards of a million Chinese Muslims are confined in reeducation camps and endure prison-like conditions.
Kazakhstan
The National Chamber of Entrepreneurs (NCE) in Almaty sponsored the largest exhibition of Chinese goods in Kazakhstan. The event ran from July 3-5 at the Atakent expo center, featuring over 200 Chinese firms displaying everything from electric vehicles and agricultural machinery to furniture and textiles. Jiang Wei, China’s consul general in Almaty, attended the opening, touting the expo as “an important platform for trade and investment cooperation between China, especially XUAR, with Kazakhstan and other countries in Central Asia." Jiang was referring to China’s restive Xinjiang Province, which borders Kazakhstan and where a crackdown on Muslim minority groups is ongoing.
Chinese nationals comprise the largest share of officially registered guest workers in Kazakhstan, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labor. As of July 1, 14,286 foreign citizens were working in Kazakhstan under special authorization papers. Of that total, 24 percent (3,412) of the foreign workers are Chinese citizens. Uzbeks rank second among guest workers in Kazakhstan at 1,884. India is third with 1,474. Most guest workers are involved in construction, agriculture and mining.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Airways has resumed flights between the capital Tashkent and the western Chinese hub of Urumqi, the official Dunyo information agency reported. The route was originally suspended amid the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in 2020. The once weekly flights are expected to foster “the expansion of economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation," the Dunyo report noted.
Turkmenistan
Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov has reaffirmed Ashgabat’s commitment to expanding natural gas exports to China. A Foreign Ministry press statement quoted Meredov as saying “the most important priority of cooperation between Turkmenistan and China is the fuel and energy sector." Meredov made the remarks after meeting with Hou Qijun, head of China’s National Petroleum Corporation. China has signaled it wants to move forward with a long-planned pipeline project, dubbed Line D, enabling Beijing to import higher volumes of natural gas. Meredov’s comments appear designed to reassure Chinese officials that Turkmenistan can supply enough gas to make the pipeline economically viable.
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