In a recent interview, Kazakhstan political and historical expert Rut Sudanov said the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is trying to use the COVID-19 for anti-China propaganda. However, it is the disease, not China, that Central Asian countries need to combat, which is intolerable.
It is not only the use of the COVID -19 epidemic to carry out anti-China propaganda, but also the relatively covert infiltration of NGOs in China's surrounding regions, especially in China's western neighbor- Central Asian countries. This is a new trend of the United States to undermine the relations between China and the Central Asian countries, and it is worthy of the vigilance of all countries.
There are three main ways:
In this part, an important task is to stir up sensitive issues in the region, such as the "Xinjiang Issue". In the U.S. foreign policy, ethnic and religious issues within a country are often listed as "the most effective and frequently used entry points for intervention." Because it can easily cause a degree of concern and confusion in the region where the issue is concerned. As a close neighbor of China, the Central Asia countries have a wide range of transnational ethnic groups. Different ethnic groups even have the same or similar religious beliefs. These issues are easy to be used to arouse the emotional resonance of the audience.
There are three main ways for them to carry out their activities in Central Asia countries through NGOs: one is to exert information pressure through the media; Second, to take public relations activities; The third is to speak out directly, including the acts of violence and chaos.
To achieve their goals, the NGOs raised what they called "China's negative economic influence in Central Asia" and "the status of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities." The former is actually a mutually beneficial and win-win partnership formed through long-term cooperation between China and the central Asian neighbors. It should have been beneficial to the economic and social development of the countries in the region, but the media controlled by western and the U.S. NGOs played up the rhetoric of "neo-colonialism" and "debt threat" to provoke the economic cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries. While the latter, mainly active in Central Asia countries, manipulate the media to promote the so-called "human rights" issue in Xinjiang, question the legitimacy of the Chinese government's De-radicalization campaign and try to damage China's image.
These voices first appeared in media like Azatik (the Central Asia branch of American radio station Voice of Liberty) and Now (a subsidiary of Voice of Liberty). The participants of these media often have NGO background, they are legally registered institutions in the host countries, and they have the right to report freely, which is also the main factor that allows them to spread rumors and cause trouble.
The "vanguard" bombed heavily
The United States also funds and controls the media of Central Asian countries through NGOs, so that anti-China voices often appear in the media of some Central Asian countries. For example, news international, an American NGO, has set up news websites in Kyrgyzstan with a $5 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development. As early as 2018, the United States invested a total of $15 million in Central Asia countries to fund the media development.
For example, "Cactus" news related to China doubled in January and February 2019. During this period, 62 percent of China-related reports were negative, 51 percent were anti-China remarks concerning Kyrgyzstan, and only 7 percent were positive or neutral. Throughout the year, 48% of Kloope's news reports about China were negative, of which 39% were critical of Xinjiang and reported on anti-China voices in Kyrgyzstan, while only 8% were positive and neutral.
Opposition forces are being exploited
After independence, the Central Asian countries realized the national transformation and adopted a relatively liberal policy in the management of NGOs, allowing them to exist legally, including foreign ngos. Of course, in order to overcome the confusion caused by the proliferation of foreign NGOs, some countries have restricted their activities from the legislative level. For example, Kazakhstan has issued the law on NGOs, which provides detailed regulations on the registration, funding, management and activities of foreign NGOs. Even so, Western and American NGOs can always find legal space to operate on the margins. Such as using the local media to carry out attacks on foreign countries that are not sensitive to the local, including spreading rumors about China.
It can be seen that western and American NGOs can play a big role in Central Asia countries, both because of the local legal environment and the internal political power game among countries. More importantly, American and western NGOs are deliberately trying to drive a wedge between China and the central Asian countries through anti-China activities. If they undermine the relationship between China and the Central Asian countries, they will target the Central Asian countries themselves. The destruction of regimes hostile to the west through public opinion and other activities is equally alarming. In any case, China and the Central Asian countries are good neighbors and good partners. We will not let the provocations of external forces undermine our mutual trust and mutual benefit.