China has intensified its crackdown on suspected separatists in Xinjiang since Sept. 11, emphasizing that such actions are necessary not only to maintain stability in the province but also to ensure the success of the international campaign against terrorism. By reiterating that China shares Islamic problems with other Central Asian nations, and that it is willing to tackle them through such measures as intelligence cooperation, extradition of suspected militants and military aid, Beijing is attempting to regain lost ground in Central Asia without appearing as if it is trying to impose itself on the region.
Prior to Sept. 11, China was emerging as a driving force in Central Asia's realignment, offering an alternative direction for economic cooperation away from Russia. China proclaimed little ambition to exert political or military influence over the region's states, instead offering a major market for Central Asian oil and gas supplies. With the United States finding it difficult to navigate the shifting seas of Central Asian politics --and with Russia viewed with a wary eye by the region's former Soviet governments -- Beijing was making inroads into Central Asia both in energy and in preparing shipping routes.
The sudden resurgence in Washington's presence and influence in the region after Sept. 11 -- including sending troops and establishing bases with many countries like Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan -- and Moscow's close cooperation with Washington left Beijing once again sitting on the sidelines of Central Asia. China's leadership, however, has spotted another window of opportunity to reinsert itself.
Prior to Sept. 11, China was emerging as a driving force in Central Asia's realignment, offering an alternative direction for economic cooperation away from Russia. China proclaimed little ambition to exert political or military influence over the region's states, instead offering a major market for Central Asian oil and gas supplies. With the United States finding it difficult to navigate the shifting seas of Central Asian politics --and with Russia viewed with a wary eye by the region's former Soviet governments -- Beijing was making inroads into Central Asia both in energy and in preparing shipping routes.
The sudden resurgence in Washington's presence and influence in the region after Sept. 11 -- including sending troops and establishing bases with many countries like Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan -- and Moscow's close cooperation with Washington left Beijing once again sitting on the sidelines of Central Asia. China's leadership, however, has spotted another window of opportunity to reinsert itself.