80 million Kazakhs living in China comments. How do Kazakhs live in China?

The Kazakhs of China not only carefully preserve traditions, but also take an active part in public life of this country. A sweet girl named Lisa told us about how our fellow countrymen live in China. We met through my friend, who last year opened Russian language courses for local Kazakhs.

Our meeting took place in a dorm room, where the girl immediately, in Kazakh style, treated us to tea with milk, noting that she had added sugar, although at her home they drink the same tea, but with salt. We spoke in Kazakh, it is worth noting that her Kazakh sounds much nicer than ours, “clean” - without slang, it makes her voice sound very calm, the kind I have only met with the presenter on the Shalkar radio.

- Tell about yourself

— My name is Lisa, I am a 4th year student at Nanjing University of Agriculture. I come from the Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, Altai Territory. There are four of us in the family, I am the youngest. From the 70s to the 90s, non-Chinese were only allowed to have two children, so my parents had to pay a tax for me (1000 yuan), and now they often joke that they literally bought me (laughs).

— Which language do you consider Kazakh or Chinese to be your native language?

— In our family, everyone speaks Kazakh, my parents don’t know Chinese. When I start speaking Chinese at home, older generation He scolds me, they say that I am Kazakh and Kazakh is my native language.

We have two types of schools: with Chinese and Kazakh as the language of instruction. I studied at a Kazakh school. But starting from the first grade we had a Chinese language lesson, and then the history of China was added. Of course, we didn’t have the history of Kazakhstan, but again, from the first grade there is a lesson in Kazakh literacy or literature. There we briefly get acquainted with the history of Kazakhstan, great writers and their works, and learn the grammar of the language.

— But education at the university is only in Chinese. How did you manage to tighten it up so well?

- As for me, after primary school, we are given the opportunity to pass an exam and go to another city, to a boarding school, where all education is conducted only in Chinese, and I entered there. Thus, starting from high school I don’t live with my parents in Xinjiang, I come only on vacation.

- What do you know about your historical homeland?

- I won’t say that I know a lot. Of course, I heard about large cities like Astana and Almaty. But I know nothing about politics, economics and the Constitution of modern Kazakhstan.

Despite this, I am familiar with many holidays and traditions - this was taught to me in my family.

We also celebrate Nauryz and Kurban Ait and prepare kazy. I remember how, as a child, we would go out into the yard and play Asyki or Kyz kuu. And of course, even at school we were introduced to the works of Abai Kunanbaev, Magzhan Zhumabaev and many others. Even here, above the table, I hung an excerpt from Abai’s words of edification.

— I noticed that you use the Arabic alphabet.

— This is not exactly Arabic writing, rather it is the traditional Kazakh writing, which was used before the Cyrillic alphabet.

— Tell us about life in Xinjiang in general: are you satisfied with everything, are there any oppressions from the Chinese?

Personally, I'm happy with everything. The Chinese are peaceful and friendly people. At school and university they are completely immersed in their studies. If I have difficulties and do not understand the material, they will always help me. In addition, the requirements for us are a little lower compared to the Chinese. For example, now I can close my course with 65 points, while the Chinese should get a minimum of 75 points. The same is true with admission to university. Every year, the Chinese government allocates separate grants and scholarships for students from Xinjiang, explaining that it is important for them to improve the overall literacy of the entire population of the country.

As for my home, they give us freedom of choice - no one forces us to speak only Chinese or only Kazakh. We have local television and radio, where there are many interesting programs in the Kazakh language. If you wish, you can purchase a more powerful antenna and catch a signal from Kazakhstan: watch your TV shows.

— Do you have any plans to visit Kazakhstan or maybe even move to live?

Of course, I would like to visit Kazakhstan, after all, it is my homeland. From what I have read and seen on the Internet, I know that Kazakhstan is in many ways not like China. It's spacious there fresh air, good nature, educated people. Our parents also advise us to plan our future not in China, but in Kazakhstan; nevertheless, the difference in mentality is significant.

Now my brother is studying in Ust-Kamenogorsk, he recently married a local girl. So, I hope in the near future I will be able to visit Kazakhstan.

Online media about the problems of compatriots

Typically, relatives abroad in China are not considered something that discredits a person, however, when it comes to Kazakhs or Uyghurs, the situation is looked at completely differently. The Uighurs traditionally consider the annexation of East Turkestan (as they call the XUAR) to China to be unfair and are fighting for the independence of Xinjiang. Kazakhs, of whom there are up to one and a half million in China, do not show obvious separatist sentiments. However, over 200 thousand Uyghurs live in Kazakhstan, neighboring the PRC, and have constant ties with their compatriots in China. Thus, the shadow of separatism also falls on the Chinese Kazakhs, some of whom, according to Beijing, may be involved in separatist activities.

“Why were 160 ethnic Kazakhs convicted in China? " - " In China, 160 ethnic Kazakhs were convicted for various reasons. A specially created commission on this issue has now received about four thousand complaints. Over the course of a week, Chinese services conducted searches in the homes of 30 thousand Kazakh families. All materials regarding Kazakhstan and Islamic religions were confiscated: flags, books, photos“- such shocking facts were presented at a press conference by relatives of Kazakhs convicted in China.

“This leaves an imprint on our relations” - On December 7 in Astana, ethnic Kazakhs from China living in Kazakhstan gave a press conference. There they stated that the Chinese authorities are oppressing the Kazakhs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. According to them, Kazakh schools began to be closed there and Kazakhs were banned from attending mosques. And those who want to leave for Kazakhstan have their passports taken away for various reasons. Meanwhile, observers believe that the Kazakhs are not oppressed in the PRC. On the other hand, if they are oppressed, then we cannot talk specifically about the Kazakhs; rather, this is Beijing’s general policy towards China’s national minorities. Experts on China told Sayasat how Kazakhstan should act in this situation.

Leading employee of the Institute of Oriental Studies named after. R. Suleimenova Erkin BAYDAROV – “ I can’t draw any conclusions yet. The Kazakh diaspora in China is part of the ethnic group. We must protect the Kazakhs wherever Kazakhs live, be it China or Russia, and do everything to have contact with them, to be in contact with them. When we hear this, it is not good news. Of course, what is happening in China is the internal affairs of the PRC. But the question of our compatriots should show us that there is a country that can stand up for them. We must defend the honor and dignity of our compatriots, unless, of course, they violate laws and regulations».

Doctor political sciences, sinologist Konstantin SYROEZHKIN – “ The Kazakh diaspora is a hot issue, although it does not have special problems in China. Because everything has been agreed upon long ago. Moreover, many ethnic Kazakhs hold bureaucratic positions in the XUAR. What reaction should there be in this case? Negotiations are organized and ongoing. This is the Foreign Ministry's reaction, and it is normal».

Analyst at Narxoz University and co-founder of the virtual expert platform Bilig Brains Daniyar KOSNAZAROV – “ I don’t think that there is a clear targeted policy towards Kazakhs living in China on the part of Beijing. But in any case, we must pay attention to this issue. Because in Kazakhstan the issue of compatriots and repatriates was acute. We have the opportunity to discuss and raise this issue, which is what is being done. In my opinion, this issue should be discussed not in a veiled manner, but point-by-point, that is, not together with other issues. The principle of our relations is based on non-interference in internal affairs. But this factor is leveled out, given the influence of China within the SREB. When such a pressing issue arises, the negative perception of China in Kazakhstan will only intensify. We must understand that ethnic Kazakhs are not a force or a threat that hinders the development of the PRC. By and large, this leaves an imprint on our relationship. China, like Kazakhstan, is interested in a soft, friendly relationship with its neighbors».

“Appeals on the problems of the Kazakh diaspora in the PRC have become more frequent” - In connection with the increasing frequency of appeals on various problems of ethnic Kazakhs in the PRC, the diplomatic departments of Kazakhstan and China are holding regular consultations to discuss issues of the Kazakh diaspora. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Thus, on November 27, the next meeting between the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Akylbek Kamaldinov and the Ambassador of China Zhang Hanhui took place. On the same day, consultations were held between the Department of Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the leadership of the consular department of the PRC Embassy in Astana on interaction in resolving issues related to the Kazakh diaspora (citizens of the PRC).

Earlier, on November 9, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to China, Shakhrat Nuryshev, met with Assistant Minister (Vice Minister) of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Li Huilai. It is reported that before the end of this year, the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, will make a working trip to Urumqi to meet with the leadership of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China and the Foreign Affairs Department of the XUAR of the People's Republic of China, as well as inspections of the Passport and Visa Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Also in December, a working trip of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Akylbek Kamaldinov to Beijing is planned for the next meeting of the Subcommittee on Security Cooperation of the Republic of Kazakhstan - the People's Republic of China and inter-Ministry of Foreign Affairs political consultations of the two countries, the agenda of which will also include issues of the Kazakh diaspora of the People's Republic of China.

« In accordance with the guidelines of President N.A. Nazarbayev, issues related to the Kazakh diaspora abroad are one of the priorities in the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and are regularly included in the agenda of bilateral negotiations and meetings of the leadership of the foreign policy department of Kazakhstan with the relevant authorities of other countries“,” commented the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

“The Chinese Ambassador about the situation with the Chinese Kazakhs: These are our internal affairs” - Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang HANHUI asked not to interfere in the internal affairs of China, commenting on the topic of oppression of Kazakhs in Xinjiang.

« If it concerns citizens who have Chinese passports, this is purely an internal matter of China» , - said the official representative of the Celestial Empire.

« Concerningoppression of the Kazakh diaspora: during the 19th Congress, before and during it, the XUAR took strict measures of supervision and inspection of all people, not only Kazakhs, but also Han Chinese and other nationalities, without exception. On-site staff law enforcement they overdid it, there are some cases. We sent information about them to Beijing and XUAR because high-ranking officials did not know about the situation" said Zhang Hanhui.

“Kazakhs in China are given even greater benefits than the Uighurs - an expert on the “oppression” of ethnic Kazakhs in the Middle Kingdom” - Not long ago, Marat SHIBUTOV drew attention to this problem in his material “Replacing the “export of brides”: why the US media is concerned about the fate of the Kazakhs in China." His gaze fell on the fact that information about the oppression of ethnic Kazakhs in China began to flash more and more often in the media. The material examined cases in which Kazakhs were oppressed on religious grounds, their oralman cards were taken away, and they were detained for connections with the Uyghurs. Marat Shibutov suggested that such publications could be beneficial to the American side in order to create a quarrel between Kazakhstan and China.

Also, all these news were united by the fact that they did not have reliable sources and the facts of these acts were not officially confirmed by anyone.

In this regard, the correspondent of the media portal Caravan.kz decided to contact the famous political scientist, orientalist and sinologist Konstantin SYROEZHKIN in order to find out how things really are with ethnic Kazakhs in China - “In the XUAR (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), Kazakhs in some regions are recognized as an autochthonous people, and therefore have significantly greater rights than in the eastern regions of China. Moreover, according to my personal observations, the Kazakhs are given even greater benefits than the Uighurs, which can be considered both as a “tribute” to Kazakh-Chinese relations and as an element of the traditional policy of “using barbarians to control barbarians.” No one plans to change this policy yet.

The problem is that most of the described prohibitions apply to the entire population of the XUAR of the PRC, and not just to the Kazakhs. The norms for performing religious rites and wearing the hijab are regulated by the “Rules of Religious Activities in the XUAR”, adopted on December 4, 2014. On July 1, the “Cyber ​​Security Law” came into force in China, tightening the rules for using the Internet, both in terms of information disseminated online and user registration. It is quite possible that the recorded cases of temporary detention of citizens of Kazakh nationality are a consequence of the entry into force of this particular law. As for restrictions on travel to Kazakhstan, this is an “information canard.” Officially there are no restrictions. The PRC authorities do not interfere with travel, and entry into Kazakhstan as an oralman is regulated by quotas provided by the government of Kazakhstan and are in no way related to Chinese policy».

“Are Kazakhs oppressed in China? “- It is worth noting that the problem of the Kazakhs of China was raised at the end of June at the world kurultai of the Kazakhs, held in Astana with the participation of President Nursultan NAZARBAYEV. One of its participants, living in Germany, Omirkhan ALTYN, stated: “ The Chinese authorities, in violation of their own and international legislation, international norms for the protection of human rights, trample on the rights of ethnic Kazakhs. Our relatives are asking for help; 10 Kazakhs were recently convicted. They say they are being tried because they praised Kazakhstan and kept in touch with their relatives from Kazakhstan. And also because they talked about their desire to move to their homeland. Young guys are being judged simply because they simply went to the mosque to pray. This should not be allowed. If the bridge is destroyed, then what kind of friendship will there be between peoples? There are no terrorists among our relatives».

In response, Nursultan NAZARBAYEV said: “ We know about the events in Xinjiang. There is terrorism and extremism, but I have not heard that Kazakhs are being oppressed there. If this is the case, we will find out through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and pay appropriate attention».

Valery SURGANOV – “No bad feelings. Why China is fighting not with Kazakhs, but with bearded men” - Information about some oppression of ethnic Kazakhs in China, which is being circulated in Kazakhstan for the second month in a row, resembles a deliberate game of understatement. It seems to talk about large-scale oppression taking place, but does not decipher what exactly they are. This is the case when everyone has heard about the situation, but no one can really say anything specific. However, if you collect the information bit by bit and try to organize it, it is very likely that the Chinese authorities intensified an anti-terrorist campaign in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), which was timed to coincide with the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China. Most likely, the ethnic Kazakhs living in the XUAR fell under it, the exact number of whom no one dares to name...

As you can see, much in this story is still unclear. Objectively speaking, it is necessary to analyze each specific case: are there really facts of underground extremist or terrorist activity here? The exact scale is still not known: whether we are talking about individuals or in fact we can talk about mass detentions. A separate question is how much the nationality of the detainee matters in this case. Be that as it may, it is important that the difficult circumstances are not taken advantage of by destructive forces that would like to set the two countries and two peoples at odds.

© ZONAkz, 2017d. Reproduction is prohibited. Only a hyperlink to the material is allowed.

The acting head of the republic, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, expectedly won the early presidential elections in Kazakhstan. He is considered a continuator of the course of the first president, but the policies of the new leader will clearly have their own characteristics. In particular, Tokayev worked for a long time in both the USSR and independent Kazakhstan. He spent many years in China. The change of the President of Kazakhstan will likely give a new impetus to relations with this country, which Beijing is really looking forward to - it has its own interests in the Central Asian republic. But not everyone likes it. I understood the scale of Chinese expansion.

Turn to the east

In February 2016, the daughter of the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Dariga, who then served as deputy prime minister of the republic, said at a meeting of the extended board that China is the destiny of the republic, and its citizens need to learn a new foreign language. Large Kazakh companies were already sending employees to Chinese courses and offering good bonuses for fluency in the language.

A protest against China's request to allow the lease of land in Kazakhstan for growing crops.

However, from the point of view of most residents of the country, things did not look so nice. Also in 2016, the government made significant changes to the country’s land code: it decided to sell 1.7 million hectares of agricultural land through auctions. At the same time, foreigners could rent land for up to 25 years.

By this time, the residents of Kazakhstan already had some prejudice against the Chinese - the PRC absorbs water from the Black Irtysh and Ili in monstrous volumes, which led to the shallowing of some rivers in Kazakhstan. They even built a reservoir on the Irtysh, which actually controls and reduces Kazakhstan’s use of its own water resource.

Therefore, after reports of auctions, protests began in the country. People have expressed concern about the expansion of Chinese farmers and the dominance of Chinese money in the country's mining industry. Protesters greeted the paddy wagons with the Chinese greeting “nihao.”

Nazarbayev dispersed the rallies. And the point here is not at all a reluctance to give in to the opposition. It will simply be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the local economy to function without cooperation with China.

Strong shoulder

The Kazakh economy is resource-dependent and export-oriented. British researcher Simone Bonenberger-Rich estimates that about a third of the country's GDP comes from oil revenues. Moreover, revenues directly and indirectly related to mining fill the state budget by almost two-thirds. Kazakhstan's exports are mainly raw materials. Almost 70 percent of the primary sector is oil and gas.

This structure creates dependence on imports of industrial goods, from clothing to machine tools, as well as on external financing. The republic is forced to attract funds from other countries, since budget revenues directly depend on oil prices. If they collapse, the state will not be able to fulfill its social obligations. But commitment to them was declared by the first president and remains a guarantee of stability and civil peace in the country.

Workers at the opening ceremony of a cement plant built jointly by the Chinese group Gezhouba and the Kazakh company Corporation DANAKE.

Bonenberger-Rich notes that stability political system Kazakhstan is strongly tied to the volume of sales revenue natural resources, and the quiet existence of the elites is impossible only through the redistribution of oil revenues. These revenues influence policy not only as the main revenue part of the budget. Within the elite, they are distributed mainly non-publicly. A similar nature of interaction also affects relations with creditors - investments are also attracted to the republic “behind closed doors.”

To understand Chinese interest in Kazakhstan, it is worth looking at the geo-economic conditions in which the republic is located. Kazakhstan is a kind of bridge for trade between China and European countries, and transit potential is, from Beijing’s point of view, the main advantage of the economy of the Central Asian republic. However, in order to fully implement it, the PRC needs investments in the modernization of Kazakhstan’s transport infrastructure, which fits well with the Chinese concept of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB).

The presence of the PRC in the oil and gas industry of Kazakhstan is constantly growing; the Chinese are not only actively investing in infrastructure projects, but also invest in the acquisition of small companies. For example, in 2009, the construction of a gas pipeline and an oil pipeline to Alashankou was completed at a cost of more than nine billion dollars. Gradually, all oil production in the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan came under the control of Chinese investors.

Another large Chinese project in Kazakhstan is the Kazakhmys company, which is a virtual monopolist in the production of copper, gold, zinc, nickel, chromium and aluminum in the country. More than half of its board of directors are citizens of the United Kingdom, and it lives solely on loans from Beijing. When the company wanted to develop the Aktogay field in 2015, the China Development Bank allocated it one and a half billion dollars at preferential interest rates. In exchange for this, Kazakhmys supplies copper to China at prices below market prices. In general, more than 80 percent of Kazakhmys products are exported to China.

Free cheese

The Kazakh government has been giving priority to Chinese bankers and funds for several years. By 2022, the economy of the Central Asian republic should receive about $48 billion. Cooperation is beneficial not so much in volumes as in loyal conditions, since Chinese investments do not carry any political burden. In order to receive them, it is not necessary to meet democratic standards, maintain a certain level of human rights or freedom of speech, which is important for American and European banks and funds. For example, Belarus, trying to attract funds from Russia, is faced with demands for comprehensive reforms.

At the same time, the Chinese are not against investing money bypassing standard procedures, and resolving issues at the personal level of heads of countries, companies and departments is close to the management style of Kazakh officials. In addition, only Beijing is ready to invest in infrastructure projects, while the Kazakhs themselves, who are completely dependent on the export of hydrocarbons, also need them.

Money from the Middle Kingdom makes it possible to stabilize not only the financial, but also the political system of Kazakhstan. Loans allow you to quickly close holes in the social sphere and keep the banking sector afloat. The government of the republic did this for the first time during the financial crisis of 2009. Finally, Chinese loans are quite cheap and are issued for a decent period - up to 20 years.

But this era of financial prosperity also has a downside - the risk that the Kazakh authorities will no longer be able to cope without external borrowing. The ease with which Chinese money made it possible to solve budgetary issues led to a certain dependence on it. Over ten years, the government's external debt has grown tenfold. And since loans are provided only by the Celestial Empire, the republic will become increasingly dependent on the will of Chinese creditors.

But free cheese only comes in a mousetrap - you have to pay for cheap loans with economic loyalty. This usually implies the right to exclusive purchase of shares in mining companies for China or exclusive supply of goods that these companies produce, as in the case of Kazakhmys.

Security questions

Another Chinese interest concerning the whole Central Asia, is about ensuring security. The former Soviet republics border the restive Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), home to Turkic Uyghurs. Xinjiang is rife with separatism and religious extremism, which Beijing is trying to suppress through forced Sinicization. Uighur extremists have long established ties with extremist organizations banned in Russia, such as “”, and with Tajik groups of a similar kind.

And here China and Kazakhstan have similar interests. Beijing needs to integrate the XUAR, including by reducing religious extremist tension throughout the region. To do this, he needs a stable and secular Kazakhstan. This will not only avoid additional tension in the region and prevent the emergence of Islamist bases in the Central Asian republics, but will also contribute to the stability of the Silk Road Economic Belt.

For China, not only political but also economic security. One of Beijing’s main tasks now is to transform the XUAR into a logistics and economic hub for the entire Central Asia. Therefore, the participation of Chinese business in the economy of Kazakhstan will grow, which will ensure both further transit of Chinese goods and uninterrupted supplies of hydrocarbons directly to the autonomous region.

The foreign policy strategy in this direction involves the economic integration of China and countries lying on the route of Chinese goods to Europe. It is for this purpose that the PRC is investing in the infrastructure of Kazakhstan, the development of oil and gas fields and increasing the capacity of the republic’s main oil pipelines.

Chinese expansion in Kazakhstan does not yet intersect with Russia’s interests. Both regional powers want to see the neighboring republic stable, and they play on different fields: Moscow cooperates with Kazakhstan in the field of ensuring security and developing common political courses, Beijing is focused on finance and investment.

It is possible that under Tokayev, who has connections in the Chinese elite, cooperation between the two countries will continue to develop and expand in the same direction. However, this idyll cannot last forever, given the degree of dependence of Kazakhstan on Beijing’s money. As a result, the Central Asian republic will find itself at a crossroads: it will either have to come to terms with the role of “catching up” and follow in the political wake of the PRC, or abandon such accessible Chinese money and move on to modernizing the economy on its own. The latter option looks tempting, but has its own risks - for example, an inevitable drop in living standards. For the country's current political system, both options could be fatal. They will lead to its collapse or require large-scale reforms, which in any case will be the end of Nazarbayev’s stability.

According to the latest census statistics in China, more than 1.5 million Kazakhs live in the Xinjiang region (XUAR). Their number ranks third after the Uyghurs and Han Chinese.

Research conducted during expeditions to China by representatives of the Kazakhstan Institute of Sociological Research shows that 56.7% of families from the Kazakh diaspora have been living on Chinese soil for more than four generations, the remaining 43.3% are indigenous residents of China.

“Part of the Kazakhs live in China who emigrated in the 30s of the 20th century during collectivization. Before this period, large Kazakh tribes already lived in this territory. Therefore, in this case we are talking about two large groups, who have been living in China for a long time, and a group that arrived in the pre-Soviet and Soviet periods. Some of the Kazakhs returned to Kazakhstan, but most still remained in China,” says Botagoz Rakisheva, candidate of sociological sciences.

The Kazakh diaspora in China preserves its traditions and customs, this was confirmed by 99% of respondents. During the expedition, the researchers were greeted with a feast of national dishes and playing the dombra.

Most residents of Xinjiang belong to the Middle Zhuz, and almost 70% of Kazakhs in China know all seven of their generations. 45% of XUAR Kazakhs go to the mosque once a week, another 6% do it daily.

“I am an Adai, my grandfather moved here during the jute, many Kazakh families fled then, during Soviet collectivization, our relatives told me... There are few Adai here, mostly descendants of those who fled during the jute of the 30s. We have many relatives in the Mangistau region - our roots are there, my relatives often go there. Next year I will also go to Kazakhstan, to Aktau for a month,” said a 22-year-old representative of the Kazakh diaspora of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in an interview with the research expedition.

“I am a Kazakh, my family is Merkit, remember, Shyngyskhan had a Merkit wife, I am from her family, there are many of us here, we live mainly near Urumqi,” says another representative of the diaspora, a 49-year-old man.

“Mostly Naiman live here, I am a Naiman and my wife is also a Naiman,” says the 37-year-old man.

More than 90% of the Kazakh diaspora received education in the Kazakh language and use it in Everyday life. About 20% watch news, movies and TV series, and also read information on the Internet in Chinese. The majority of XUAR Kazakhs marry only with representatives of the Kazakh nation - 83.2%, more than 7% marry Uighurs, 3.8% - with the Chinese.

According to sociologists, despite the fact that the majority of Kazakhs in China speak their native language, there is concern about the future of the Kazakh language. This is due to the globalization of China and the addition of Kazakh words from other languages. Kazakh schools, kindergartens, language courses and cultural centers in China contribute to the maintenance of the national language. Kazakhs living on the territory of the XUAR use Arabic script in writing, some know Chinese characters. In China you can also find products with explanatory inscriptions in the Kazakh language.

88.4% of Chinese Kazakhs consider this country their homeland, and only 10% of them call Kazakhstan their homeland. According to sociologist Botagoz Rakisheva, this is due to the fact that most relatives live in China, and Chinese lands are the lands of their ancestors.

At the same time, about 90% of respondents would like their children to live and work in Kazakhstan, about 80% would like them to study and start families. Also, members of the Kazakh diaspora admit that 60% of the younger generation experience difficulties in mastering the Kazakh language and only 30% successfully master it.

In the spring of 2018, ethnic Kazakh Sayragul Sauytbai, a former teacher in one of the camps for Muslims, crossed the Kazakh-Chinese border illegally. Later, having received refugee status in Sweden, she talks about the conditions of detention in re-education camps - torture, physical and psychological violence.

The international community first started talking about ideological re-education camps for ethnic minorities in 2017. Then the human rights organization Human Rights Watch published an article about political education centers where detainees are sent. In October 2018, a BBC investigation confirmed their existence. Next, Reuters published an article “Exploring the Chinese Gulag for Muslims,” which talked about torture and poor conditions in places of detention, the police regime in and the lack of communication with this region.

The international community has accused the Chinese authorities of erasing the national identity of minorities and crimes against humanity. The Uighur community has called the government's actions cultural genocide.

We compiled what is known about the camps now and spoke to two ethnic Kazakhs from China about ideological re-education, fear and rumors.

Hero names have been changed

About Xinjiang

Xinjiang or Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is the largest territorial unit of the Chinese People's Republic. In the past, the land belonged to the Uyghur people; in 1760, the territory was turned into a military-administrative unit - Xinjiang, which in 1955 became an autonomous part of the PRC. Most of the population are Uighurs, although Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Tatars and others also live there.