THE NORTHERN CASPIAN ON CHINA’S GEOPOLITICAL AGENDA
Abstract
Everyone knows that in addition to its keen interest in the Southern and Northern Caucasus, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is also active in Central Asia, another area of its geopolitical interests. Much has and is being written about this, but for some reason no one has examined China’s presence in the Northern Caspian (I have in mind the Atyrau Region of Kazakhstan, the relations with which are part and parcel of China’s Central Asian policy, and the Astrakhan Region and Kalmykia of Russia).
Here I will dwell on Chinese strategy in the two latter regions of the Russian Federation, that is, in the Russian part of the Northern Caspian. As a sort of corridor or link between Central Asia and the Caucasus with a multitude of ties between them and this part of Russia, the region is of immense geopolitical importance for Beijing.
Indeed, the Northern Caspian offers a lot of opportunities for China, ranging from the economy to the humanitarian and religious spheres; its strategic location is very important for China’s security. This means that this region is one of the components of China’s Central Asian and Caucasian geopolitics.
Downloads
References
See: Narody Evropeyskoy chasti SSSR, Vol. 2, Moscow, 1964; Ocherki istorii Kalmytskoy ASSR, Vols. 1-2, Mos-cow, 1967, p. 70; U. Erdnev, Kalmyki (Konets XIX-nachalo XX vekov. Istoriko-etnograficheskie ocherki), Elista, 1970;D.Ts.-D. Nominkhanov, Ocherki istorii kultury kalmytskogo naroda, Elista, 1969; “Kalmyki,” Entsiklopedicheskiy slovar Brokgauza i Efrona, Vol. 82, St. Petersburg, 1904.
For more detail, see, for example: I. Vishniakova, “K voprosu o begstve volzhskikh kalmykov v Jungariiu v 1771 godu,” Vostokovednye issledovaniia na Altae, Issue II, Barnaul, 2000, pp. 45-54.
See: Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, available at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayingolin_
ongol_Autonomous_Prefecture], 17 July, 2012; the official site of the prefecture [http://www.xjbz.gov.cn/].
For more detail, see, in particular: “Ambassadors from the Celestial Empire in the Kalmyk Khanate,” Kalmykia-online, available at [http://kalmykia-online.ru/history/328], 1 January, 2010 (here and elsewhere the Internet sites are in Russian unless otherwise stated.—Ed.).
See: “The Government of Kalmykia and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have Agreed on Cooperation,”Regnum Information Agency, available at [http://www.regnum.ru/news/804620.html], 23 March, 2007.
See: “Chinese Investors are Prepared to Modernize the Airport in the Capital of Kalmykia,” Kavkazskiy uzel, avail-able at [http://www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/133556/], 3 February, 2008.
See: “The Head of Kalmykia Met a Delegation from the PRC,” Official site of the Head of the Republic of Kalmykia
[http://glava.region08.ru/ru/soobscheniya-dlya-pressy/3373-delegaciya-knr.html], 25 June, 2012.
See: N. Azydova, D. Jambinov, “Guests from China Visit the Yashkul District,” Vesti/Kalmykia, available at [http://vesti-kalmykia.ru/society/4026-delegaciya-bayngol-mongolskoy-avtonomnoy-oblasti-s-rabochim-vizitom-pribyla-v-yashkulskiy-rayon.html], 27 June, 2012.
See, for example: V. Ishutin, “Chinese Kalmyks Return to the Motherland,” Rossiiskie Vesti, available at [http://
ww.rosvesty.ru/1818/regions/1146-kitaiskie-kalmiki-vozvraschajutsya-na-rodinu/], 26 April-2 May, 2006.
See: “Kalmykia is the Motherland of the Chinese,” Novaia gazeta, available at [http://www.novayagazeta.ru/pol-itics/37257.html], 25 January, 2007.
See: V. Ishutin, op. cit.
See: “Kalmykia is the Motherland of the Chinese.”
See: “In 2011, Kalmykia Registers over 5 Thousand Foreign Migrants,” Kalmykia, Portal poleznoy informatsii,available at [http://kalm08.ru/v-kalmikii-2011-godu-na-migracionniie-uchet-postavleno-bolee-5-tisyach-inostrancev.html],31 January, 2012.
See: “In 2011, Officials of the Federal Migration Service Deported 5.6 thousand Chinese Migrants from Russia,”
RIA Novosti, available at [http://ria.ru/society/20120321/601757782.html], 21 March, 2012.
See: “Nazarbaev: The Eurasia Canal Might Connect the Caspian and Black Seas,” RIA Novosti, available at [http://
ia.ru/politics/20070610/67005824.html], 10 June, 2012.
See, for example: “Does Russia Need the Eurasia Canal?” Ekologicheskaia pravda, available at [http://www.eco-pravda.ru/page.php?al=canal_evraz], 17 September, 2009.
See: B. Jengurov, “The Leaders of Kalmykia Intend to Speed Up Implementation of the Eurasia Project,” Kavka-zskiy uzel, available at [http://www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/173344/], 25 August, 2010.
See: B. Jengurov, “From the Azov to the Caspian,” Rossiyskaia gazeta, available at [http://www.rg.ru/2008/11/06/
eg-jugrossii/manych.html], 6 November, 2008.
See: “The Conception of Linking the Caspian and Black Seas was Presented in Makhachkala,” Kaspiyskiy factor,available at [http://www.casfactor.com/rus/news/1597.html], 27 April, 2011.
See: B. Jengurov, “The Leaders of Kalmykia Intend to Speed Up Implementation of the Eurasia Project.”
See: “Kalmykia’s Suggestion Causes Heated Debates at the Institute of Oriental Studies,” Pravitelstvo Respub-liki Kalmykia, available at [http://gov.kalmregion.ru/news/2012-02-03-08-36-50/6718-2012-05-28-05-52-52], 28 May,2012.
See, for example: “International Activities,” Kalmytskiy gosudarstvenny universitet, available at [http://
ww.kalmsu.ru/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=145:2011-03-23-07-33-32&catid=54:2011-03-23-07-21-50&Itemid=86], 8 July, 2012.
Ibidem.
See: “To the Participants in the Gala Opening of the Institute of Confucius,” Official site of the Head of the Re-public of Kalmykia [http://glava.region08.ru/ru/kilyumzhinov/86-ot-pervogo-lica/942-uchastnikam-torzhestvennoi-tseremo-nii-otkrytiya-instituta-konfutsiya.html],26 See: “International Activities,” Kalmytskiy gosudarstvenny universitet.
On the place of Tibet in Chinese geopolitics, see, for example: D. Babayan, “Tibetskiy platsdarm kitayskoy geo-politiki, Vostok (Oriens), Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS, No. 4, 2011, pp. 81-99.
See: S. Badmayev, “Karma of Russian Buddhism. Politicization of the Community Causes Splits and Conflicts,”NG-Religii, available at [http://religion.ng.ru/people/2011-08-03/5_karma.html], 3 August, 2011.
Ibidem.
See, for example: “The Head of Kalmykia Awards Dalai Lama the Order of White Lotus,” Kavkazskiy uzel, avail-able at [http://www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/105183/], 11 December, 2006.
“The Head of the Republic of Kalmykia Meets Dalai Lama,” Save Tibet! Center of Tibetan Culture and Informa-tion, available at [http://savetibet.ru/2011/08/17/dalai_lama_kalmykia.html], 17 August, 2011. 23
See, for example: A. Nemtsova, “A Wondrous Buddhist Tradition Resurrected in Kalmykia,” Russia beyond the Headlines, available at [http://rbth.ru/articles/2011/10/26/buddhist_revival_in_kalmykia_13607.html], 26 October, 2011 (in English).
See: “Kamby-lama of the Republic of Tuva: ‘Kalmykia Will Be Our Spiritual Leader,’” Save Tibet! Center of Tibetan Culture and Information, available at [http://savetibet.ru/2011/09/27/tuva.html], 27 September, 2011.
See: “Vladimir Zhirinovsky Supports Dalai Lama Visiting Russia,” Save Tibet! Center of Tibetan Culture and Information, available at [http://savetibet.ru/2011/08/15/dalai_lama.html], 15 August, 2011.
See: T. Tsering, “Tibetan Spiritual Leader Begins Teaching for Russian Buddhists,” Phayul.com, available at [http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=30563], 19 December, 2011 (in English).
See, for example: “An Open Letter of the supreme Buddhist clergy of Russia to the President of the Russian Fed-eration Mr. V.V. Putin on a Visit of the Spiritual Leader of the Buddhists, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,’ Save Ti-bet! Center of Tibetan Culture and Information, available at [http://savetibet.ru/2006/06/28/letter_to_president.html], 28 June, 2006; A. Serenko, “Buddhists Ask Putin to Give Permission to Invite Dalai Lama,” available at [http://savetibet.ru/
/06/30/russian_buddhists_putin.html], 30 June, 2006; “On a Visit of Dalai Lama to Russia. The Community of the Buddhists of Tuva Sends an Open Letter to S.V. Lavrov,” Save Tibet! Center of Tibetan Culture and Information, available at [http://savetibet.ru/2011/10/31/dalai-lama.html], 31 October, 2011; Yu. Zhironkina, “Dalai Lama Blesses the Project of a New Large Temple in Tuva,” Save Tibet! Center of Tibetan Culture and Information, available at [http://savetibet.ru/
/11/13/tuva.html], 13 November, 2011.
See: “The Head of the Republic of Kalmykia Meets Dalai Lama.”
See: “Vladimir Zhirinovsky Supports Dalai Lama Visiting Russia.”
See: “Statement of the Kalmyk Regional Society of Friends of Tibet,” Save Tibet! Center of Tibetan Culture and
Information, available at [http://savetibet.ru/2007/03/26/tsg_kalmykia.html], 26 March, 2007.April, 2009.
“The Participants in the Picket in Support of the Tibetan People Sign an Address to the Government of Russia and
the World Community,” Save Tibet! Center of Tibetan Culture and Information, available at [http://savetibet.ru/2008/04/04/
etition_tibet.html], 4 April, 2008.
See: “A Second Action in Support of Tibet and Dalai Lama is Held in Buryatia,” Save Tibet! Center of Tibetan Culture and Information, available at [http://savetibet.ru/2008/04/05/tibet_buryatia.html], 5 April, 2008.
See: O. Kazmina, “Confessional Composition of Population of Russia,” Narody i religii mira, available at [http://
ww.cbook.ru/peoples/obzor/konfess6.shtml], 10 January, 2009.
See: “Why Dalai Lama cannot Visit Russia,” Golos Ameriki, available at [http://blogs.voanews.com/russian/rus-sia-watch/2011/07/19/dalai-lama-russia/], 19 July, 2011.
See: O. Lipich, “More and More People All Over the World are Embracing Buddhism, said Dalai Lama,” RIA Novosti, available at [http://ria.ru/religion/20111228/528298390.html], 28 December, 2011.
See, for example” E. Krivyakina, “Buddhists Recognize Medvedev as a Deity Reincarnate,” Komsomolskaia prav-da, available at [http://kp.ru/daily/24347.5/536873/], 24 August, 2009.
For more detail, see: “Sergey Lavrov: The RF is Against Politicization of the Activities of Dalai Lama,” Rossiiskaia gazeta, available at [http://www.rg.ru/2010/05/13/lavrov-anons.html], 13 May, 2010; C. Arpi, “Dalai Lama and the Russian Card,” The Buddhist Channel, available at [http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,9233,0,0,1,0], 29 May, 2010 (in English).
A Delegation from Tibet Visits Kalmykia,” Kavkazsky uzel, available at [http://www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/117 649/], 1 July, 2007.
See: “The Head of Kalmykia Receives a Letter from the Chinese Ambassador to the RF Liu Guchang,” Official site of the Head of the Republic of Kalmykia, available at [http://glava.region08.ru/ru/kilyumzhinov/82-glave-kalmykii-pishut/200-na-imya-glavy-kalmykii-postupilo-pismo-ot-posla-knr.html], 2 October, 2007.
See: “The Head of Kalmykia Intends to Build a Pagoda in Tibet in Honor of the Kalmykian Monks,” Kavkazskiy uzel, available at [http://www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/120967/], 13 August, 2007.
For more detail about the chronology of their bilateral relations see, in particular: “Information about Cooperation between the Astrakhan Region and the People’s Republic of China,” Ministry of International and Foreign Economic Ties of the Astrakhan Region, available at [http://www.astmid.ru/uploaded/mezhdunarodka/_íà_ñàéò_ÀÎ-Êèòàé_2012.01.30.doc],26 July, 2012.
See: “The Government of the Astrakhan Region Extends its International Cooperation with China,” Astrakhansk-ie novosti, available at [http://astra-novosti.ru/ïðàâèòåëüñòâî-àñòðàõàíñêîé-îáëàñòè-4/], 7 November, 2011.
For more detail, see: “The Astrakhan Region and the Henan Province are Extending Their Partnership,” Ministry of International and Foreign Economic Ties of the Astrakhan Region, available at [http://www.astmid.ru/index.php?mode=news&iid=1332162483], 27 July, 2012.
See: “The Astrakhan Region is Seeking Chinese Investments,” Vesti/Ekonomika, available at [http://www.
estifinance.ru/articles/3541], 9 November, 2011.
See: “Astrakhan Shipbuilders Add New Production Facilities to Meet the Order of Oil Business,” Astrakhan’s site,available at [http://astrahan.gs/novosti-astraxani/10901-astrahanskie-sudostroiteli-rasshiryayut-moshnosti-pod-novie-zakazi-dlya-neftyanikov.html], 23 June, 2012.
For more detail, see, in particular: “Krasnye Barrikady is Completing a Drilling Platform for Chinese Clients,” City site of Astrakhan, available at [http://astrahan.gs/novosti-astraxani/9929-krasnie-barrikadi-zavershayut-stroitelstvo-burovoy-platformi-dlya-kitayskih-zakazchikov.html], 23 March, 2012.
See: “Foreign Economic Activity of the Astrakhan Region in 2007,” Ministry of International and Foreign Economic Ties of the Astrakhan Region, available at [http://www.astmid.ru/uploaded/2007%20-%20ñàéò.doc], 30 May,2008.
See: “Foreign Economic Activity of the Astrakhan Region in 2008,” Ministry of International and Foreign Economic Ties of the Astrakhan Region, available at [http://www.astmid.ru/uploaded/analitika/2008%20-%20ñàéò.doc],14 April, 2009.
See: “Foreign Economic Activity of the Astrakhan Region in 2009,” Ministry of International and Foreign Eco-nomic Ties of the Astrakhan Region, available at [http://www.astmid.ru/uploaded/2009.doc], 5 September, 2010.
See: “Foreign Economic Activity of the Astrakhan Region in 2010,” Ministry of International and Foreign Eco-nomic Ties of the Astrakhan Region, available at [http://www.astmid.ru/uploaded/VTO.doc], 15 August, 2011.
For more detail about trade between China and Astrakhan Region in 2011 see, for example: “Foreign Trade Turn-over between the Astrakhan Region and the People’s Republic of China in 2011,” Ministry of International and Foreign Economic Ties of the Astrakhan Region, available at [http://www.astmid.ru/uploaded/mezhdunarodka/%202011_1.doc],26 July, 2012.
See: “The Astrakhan Region and the Henan Province are Extending Their partnership.”
See: Ibidem.
For more detail, see: “The Higher Educational Establishments which Coordinate Training for the USCO,” SCO University, available at [http://www.eduweek.ru/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=5&Itemid=7&lang=ru], 27 July, 2012.
See: “The Astrakhan Region can Expect Labor Migrants in the Coming Year,” Ministry of Social Development and Labor of the Astrakhan Region, available at [http://www.minsoctrud.astrobl.ru/event/trudovye-otnosheniya/trudovaya-mi-gratsiya/astrakhanskaya-oblast-mozhet-rasschityvat-na-trudovy], 19 August, 2010.
See: K. Aleksandrov, “Prioritet v trudoustroystve za rossiyanami,” Volga, 12 January, 2012.
See: N. Bykova, “Migratsiiu ostanovit nevozmozhno,” Stavropolskaia pravda, 24 December, 2011.
See, for example: A. Malinin,“Kitayskaia interventsia. Astrakhanskie selchane stolknulis s novoy, opasnoy prob-lemoy!” Fakt i kompromat (weekly), 18 November, 2011.
See, for example: Ptotokol zasedania Obshchestvenno-konsultativnogo soveta pri Upravlenii Federalnoy migrat-sionnoy sluzhby po Astrakhanskoy oblasti, No. 4, Astrakhan, 15 September, 2009.
See: Ibidem.
See: “Astrakhan Bailiffs Deport Citizens of China Who Lived Illegally in Russia,” Administration of the Federal
Bailiff Service for the Astrakhan Region, available at [http://www.r30.fssprus.ru/news/document21085013/], 20 January,2012.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2012 Author
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
