Saturday, 9 July 2011By Mukhametzhan Seitzhapparuly, JTW
JTW conducted and interview with Selcuk Colakoglu, Director of USAK Center for Asia-Pasific Studies regarding China’s relations with Central Asian countries and specifically with Kazakhstan.
Q: How do you see China’s relations with Central Asian countries?
A: Just after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, China had begun to show serious concerns regarding the newly independent Central Asian countries. China recognized their independence and started cooperation processes, especially with bordering countries such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. China established diplomatic relations and support for these countries’ institutions. Nevertheless, there are some risks for China. One is the destabilization process amongst ethnic communities in western China, especially Uyghur people and other Turkic-Muslim populations in the Xinjiang region. As we all know, the Soviet regime was very strong so nobody knew that dissolution of Soviet Union would occur, but in 1991, it suddenly collapsed and all those historically Turkic-Muslim Central Asian countries became independent. China fears that communities in the Xinjiang region will be inspired to adopt the independence model of Central Asian countries. Nevertheless, Chinese strategy toward Central Asian countries has become successful over the years. A bright example is the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which clearly illustrates China’s brilliant policy for Central Asian countries to gain mutual trust and develop common cooperation with member countries. Kazakhstan is developing relations with China more felicitously than other Central Asian countries mainly due to its huge energy resources. So Kazakhstan can balance the influence of China to the extent of its providing of energy resources, because as we know, China is a country dependent on energy resources such as oil and gas due to it developing day by day in the fields of technology and manufacturing. Another bordering country, Kyrgyzstan has limited resources. The same is true for Tajikistan, so consequently these countries lack sufficient capacity or priority to establish good partnerships with China.
Q: Which realm of cooperation do you think is most important to both China and Kazakhstan?
A: It is mutual trust, a good environment, and also a reasonably good trade relationship between the two countries. Usually many countries around the world have great trade deficits with China, but with the help of energy resources and energy-based projects, Kazakhstan can achieve economic balance with it. Within this context, we can say the Kazakhstan-China trade relationship is relatively balanced and equal in many aspects. Also, there are some transportation projects between the two countries and Kazakhstan is playing a critical role in these issues. For instance, Kazakhstan’s role in projects such as the “Modern Silk Road” and “Iron Silk Road” is crucial. Essentially, I can say Kazakhstan-Chinese relations are complex and diversified.
Q: What will be the future of the Kazakhstani-Chinese relationship?
A: In the past twenty years, Kazakhstan developed strong successful institutions for an independent state, overcoming its serious problems and difficulties. Kazakhstan developed harmony for different ethnic groups inside the country and an open society, consequently attracting foreign direct investment from various countries. One critical point in the future for the Kazakhstani-Chinese relationship may be the post-Nazarbayev era. Nursultan Nazarbayev is the most successful leader in Central Asia for peacefully transforming his country and his policy toward other countries in a multilateral and cooperative fashion. Nevertheless, in my point of view, Kazakhstan will be able to handle or manage the post-Nazarbayev era because Kazakh society has the infrastructure necessary to adopt a full-fledged democracy as well as the economic capacity to sustain a transparent and liberal economy. Kazakhstan and China will continue their good relationship due to Kazakhstan serving as China’s gateway to Europe and also as a provider of energy resources. These advantages make Kazakhstan an important strategic country for China. |
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Mukhametzhan Seitzhapparuly, JTW
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