NURSULTAN (Realist English). Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe called on Central Asian countries to be ready for foreign meddling. During his visit to Nursultan, he said that China will intensify defense cooperation with Kazakhstan as part of broader support for regional security.
China firmly opposes external forces deliberately instigating a “color revolution” in Kazakhstan, and calls for vigilance about certain major powers interfering in Central Asia to disrupt and undermine regional security, said Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe during his visit to Nursultan.
Wei made this statement at a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev three months after mass protests in the country.
Tokayev stressed that he has high hopes for the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Kazakhstan scheduled for September this year. According to the Kazakh leader, the upcoming negotiations will give a new powerful impetus to the development of Kazakh-Chinese relations.
During the conversation, the parties discussed the state and prospects of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the peacekeeping and military-technical spheres.
The Chinese Defense Minister confirmed the readiness of the Chinese side to further develop close cooperation in this area. In his opinion, the progress in this direction is largely facilitated by the large-scale transformations carried out in Kazakhstan aimed at increasing the potential of the Armed Forces and strengthening the country’s defense capability. The Minister gave a high assessment of Kazakhstan’s domestic and foreign policy.