China and Russia work together on the security issue of Central Asia

Washington – China and Russia have stepped up their efforts to increase their influence in Central Asia following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. Analysts claim that China and Russia are working together to keep the United States out of the region, even though the two countries have different interests. A few days ago, the talks gained momentum against the backdrop of a meeting held in Russia.

Following the disintegration of the USSR in 1991, China started increasing cooperation with the Central Asian countries. China has heavily invested in the fuel, energy, minerals and transport sectors in these countries. Security ties with these countries are also being strengthened through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. At the same time, China has started supplying defence technology and weapons to these countries on a large scale in the last few years.

Russia has a major share in the defence sector in the Central Asian countries. Russia has managed to maintain its grip on this sector through the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. The withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan has increased the threat of terrorism and immigrant influx in these countries. Analysts are pointing out that this could pose challenges to the interests of both China and Russia.

With this in mind, Alexander Cooley has said that China and Russia have taken steps to set the agenda for the Central Asian countries. Cooley pointed out that although the Russian leadership is not happy with the increasing Chinese influence, it will support China to keep the United States out of the region. He also claimed that China might compromise to reduce the Uyghur threat in its border regions.

Meanwhile, there are indications that the cooperation between China and Russia is on the rise in other sectors. China has stepped up its coal imports from Russia to alleviate its coal shortage. As per the information provided by the Chinese government agencies, the quantity of coal imported from Russia has almost tripled.