Kazakhstan unrest can have direct bearing on China
The political unrest in the natural resource-rich Kazakhstan could have a direct bearing on China, though the situation has been somewhat brought under control. China has large investments in Kazakhstan, which also serves as a vital link between Beijing and the rest of Europe. The multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) too runs through the country.
“The unrest has stirred concerns about the impact on Chinese companies operating in the country, which has been showered with investment under President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative,” South China Morning Post said in a report.
The Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan has already issued an advisory, asking its companies and citizens residing in the Central Asian country to continuously monitor the situation.
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Experts told India Narrative that Beijing's concerns would increase further if protests continue as the two countries share a common border. “The Chinese would be worried, not only has Beijing made huge investments in the Central Asian country, the two have a common border. Also, protests in Kazakhstan could have a ripple effect across the other Central Asian countries,” an analyst said.
In 2019, the Kazakh government was forced to publish details on Chinese investments. China Dialogue revealed, there were 55 Chinese projects with half of the investment totaling about $27.6 billion in the oil and gas sector and the rest are in mining and ore processing, machine manufacturing, energy, and food production.
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