“Chinese expansion in Central Asia no threat to Moscow”
By IAR DeskRussian Ambassador to Beijing said Russia and China should combine their resources, and not compete with each other.
Photo: South China Morning Post
The Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov has said that Chinese expansion in Central Asia is not a threat to Moscow. He made these comments in an interview with South China Morning Post. In fact, he said that both Russia and China should combine their resources, and not compete with each other.
The five Central Asian republics – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – form partof Russia’s extended neighborhood and has traditionally been considered to be in Russia’s sphere of influence. In recent times China has been making major inroads into the region, with massive investments. The region also represents a major link in China’s ambitious Belt and Road connectivity project.
The ongoing Belt and Road Forum in Beijing has seen enthusiastic participation from the Central Asian countries with at least three current heads of state and former Kazakh president Nur Sultan Nazarbayev attending it.
Denisov, however, said that his ountry wants more integration between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Central Asian economic and security groups.
In a wide-ranging interview with the South China Morning Post, the envoy denied there was a growing anti-Chinese sentiment among the Russian public because of increased Chinese investment and migration to Russia’s far eastern region.
“China is active in the economic field in these countries, which are … areas of traditional interests for my country and traditional engagement,” the publication quoted him as saying. “Chinese engagement [in Central Asia], as farm as I understand, does not hurt Russian interests.”
The envoy pitched for greater integration between the BRI and Central Asian economic and security groups, like the Eurasian Economic Union – a grouping of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan – and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a security alliance made up of Russia, China, India Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
“China has financial resources. China can move and transmit excessive capacity in some branches of industries to these areas,” he said
Denisov further said Russia was looking to convene a fourth summit between, inRussian and Asean leaders given the effectiveness of the gatherings, which have occurred annually since the first meeting with the 10-member bloc at the Russian resort of Sochi in 2016, as Russia also had its own ideas to foster integration in the region.
