Xinjiang Kazakh plans political party to counter China’s Xi
By DAKE KANG
Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese-born Kazakh activist is preparing to register a political party in Kazakhstan to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the region. Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan this week in his first trip abroad since the pandemic, but Beijing’s brutal crackdown in its Xinjiang region has alienated many ordinary people in Central Asia. Bekzat Maxutkanuly, head of a grassroots group advocating for Kazakhs in China, says he’s determined to press Kazakhstan to become more democratic and challenge China more openly. He faces steep odds given the Kazakh government’s authoritarian bent.
