loading…
Russian troops disembark from a military aircraft at an airfield in Kazakhstan, January 7, 2022. China supports Russia and its military alliance deploying troops to Kazakhstan. Photo/Russian Ministry of Defense/Handout via REUTERS
This support was conveyed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a telephone contact with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday (10/1/2022) evening.
In a phone call summarized by Chinese state media, Wang said that China supported the Kazakh president’s assessment that the source of the unrest was terrorist activity.
Also read: China Offers Security Support to Kazakhstan
“China and Russia must oppose external forces interfering in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries,” Wang Yi’s phone transcript reads, as reported by Reuters. Reuters, Tuesday (11/1/2022).
According to him, China and Russia must prevent the “color revolution” and the “three evil forces” from causing chaos.
China defines the “three evil forces” as religious extremism, territorial secession and violent terrorism. The three have also been described as the culprits behind the instability in the Xinjiang province.
Government buildings in several cities in Kazakhstan were seized or burned by demonstrators last week.
Protests in Kazakhstan against rising gas prices were initially peaceful, but turned into horrific violence.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered troops to shoot dead rioters to quell insurgency across the country.
Authorities blame the violence on what they call “extremists”, including foreign-trained militants.
President Tokayev also asked for the help of the Russian-led military bloc to send troops, which the government said had been deployed to guard strategic sites.
Chinese President Xi Jinping last Friday told President Tokayev that China firmly opposes any force that destabilizes Kazakhstan. Xi praised Tokayev’s decisive actions in confronting the rioters.
(min)
– .
