Political and Territorial Settlement in Kazakhstan-China Relations: From Border Delimitation to Cross-Border Cooperation
( Pp. 65-73)
More about authors
Ailing Wang
postgraduate student
Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin
Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation Kerimov Alexander A. Dr. Sci. (Polit.), Associate Professor; Head, Department of Political Sciences; Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin; Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin
Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation Kerimov Alexander A. Dr. Sci. (Polit.), Associate Professor; Head, Department of Political Sciences; Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin; Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
Abstract:
The relevance of the study is determined by the challenges of institutionalizing the state borders of the former Soviet republics following the dissolution of the USSR. Of particular significance is the negotiation process undertaken by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia to settle their territorial issues with the People’s Republic of China. The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the political-territorial settlement process in Kazakhstan-China relations. The source base of the study comprises international treaties and agreements, normative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the PRC, as well as scholarly publications by Russian, Kazakh, and Chinese researchers. The study employs comparative-historical and historical-genetic methods, along with legal document analysis, and adopts an institutional approach. It is established that the contemporary Kazakhstan-China border is the result of a prolonged process encompassing the agreements of the Russian and Qing Empires, the Sino-Soviet confrontation, and post-Soviet negotiations. It is demonstrated that during the delimitation of 1994–1998, Kazakhstan ceded a significant amount of disputed territory to the PRC, which, however, constituted only a small fraction of the land originally claimed by China. It is revealed that cross-border economic cooperation is implemented through the alignment of the “Nurly Zhol” and “Belt and Road” initiatives. An important indicator of the partnership has been the establishment of the Khorgos International Center for Border Cooperation (ICBC “Khorgos”). It is determined that the issue of dual citizenship among Kazakh repatriates (oralman) and the potential for irredentist sentiments in border areas pose risks to the stability of bilateral relations.
How to Cite:
Wang, Ailing, Kerimov, A.A. (2026). Political and territorial settlement in Kazakhstan-China relations: From border delimitation to cross-border cooperation. Sociopolitical Sciences, 16(1), 65–73. DOI: 10.33693/2223-0092-2026-16-1-65-73. EDN: LUGZFK
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Aleshchenko P.S. Kazakhstan-style “Soft Power”: Directions and mechanisms of implementation. In: Culture and nature of political power: Theory and practice. Collection of scientific works. Yekaterinburg: Ural State Pedagogical University, 2024. Pp. 15–19.
Aleshchenko P.S. Russia’s “Soft Power” in Kazakhstan: Cultural and economic aspects. Sociopolitical Sciences. 2024. Vol. 14. No. 1. Pp. 35–40. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.33693/2223-0092-2024-14-1-35-40.
Atygayev N.A. Kazakh Khanate in the system of international relations of Eurasia. World of Great Altai. 2015. No. 1 (3). Pp. 200–212. (In Rus.)
Barinova E.B. Ethnocultural relations of China with the peoples of Central Asia in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin. Series: Literary Theory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies. 2014. No. 13 (135). Pp. 23–36. (In Rus.)
Bedeladze D.S., Belousova D.V. Trade and economic cooperation of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the PRC and its impact on the development of integration in the EAEU format. Post-Soviet Studies. 2020. No. 2. Pp. 145–154. (In Rus.)
Buyarov D.V., Skatov D.R. Demographic situation in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the 2000s. History Magazine: Researches. 2024. No. 4. Pp. 134–145. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.7256/2454-0609.2024.4.71260.
Volkova I.V. Xinjiang Province in Soviet-Chinese relations (1941–1942). Manuscript. 2019. No. 3. Pp. 20–24. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.30853/manuscript.2019.3.4.
Volkova I.V., Ivanov V.V. On the mechanism of Soviet economic and political penetration into Xinjiang (1931–1940). Tomsk State University Journal of History. 2022. No. 79. Pp. 114–122. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.17223/19988613/79/14.
Dmitrieva M.O. Comparative analysis of the settlement of the border of the Russian Federation with the Republic of Kazakhstan and the People’s Republic of China. Ojkumena. Regional Researches. 2011. No. 3 (18). Pp. 40–48. (In Rus.)
Dolenina O.E., Podkladova A.S. Cross-border cooperation as a factor of economic development of Chinese Regions. Pacific Rim: Economics, Politics, Law. 2023. No. 3. Pp. 47–59. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.24866/1813-3274/2023-3/47-59.
Dorokhov V.Zh. Border conflict between the USSR and the PRC in 1969: Political aspect. Modern Scientific Thought. 2017. No. 2. Pp. 91–100. (In Rus.). EDN: YSNAST.
Ziborov D.M. The Ili crisis and the position of Great Britain in 1880: The mission of colonel C.D. Gordon. Klio. 2024. No. 12 (216). Pp. 134–137. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.51678/2070-9773-2024-12-134-137.
Isakov A.S., Ivanov A.N. Central Asia and Russia: Analysis of migration processes. Stork on the Roof. Demographic Journal. 2024. No. 12 (12). Pp. 22–39. (In Rus.)
Kakimov S.K. Some socio-economic problems of Oralmans (Kandastar) in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Science & Reality. 2021. No. 2 (6). Pp. 239–242. (In Rus.).
Laumulin M.T. Central Asia in foreign political science and world geopolitics. Almaty: KazISS under the President of the RK, 2009. Vol. 5. 440 p. ISBN: 9965-853-24-4.
Liu S., Chernikova L.P. Historical overview of Sino-Russian cooperation within the “Shanghai Five” (SCO): A view from China. Achievements and difficulties. Tomsk State University Journal of History. 2022. No. 80. Pp. 114–124. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.17223/19988613/80/14.
Ma Y. The Kazakhstan project “Nurly Zhol” and the Chinese initiative “One Belt and One Road”: Points of conjugation and prospects. Moscow University Anthropology and Ethnology Bulletin. Series 8. History. 2022. No. 5. Pp. 159–179. (In Rus.). EDN: VZVYXN.
Moiseev V.A. Russia and China in Central Asia (second half of the 19th century – 1917). Barnaul: Az Buka, 2003. 346 p. ISBN: 5-94471-063-7.
Perminova A.A. Military-technical cooperation of the PRC with Central Asian countries: Conclusions for Russia. Russia and the Contemporary World. 2024. No. 1 (122). Pp. 107–125. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.31249/rsm/2024.01.07.
Rakhimzhanov A.T., Elzhanova E.T. Nomadic civilization in world history. Science and Reality. 2025. No. 2 (22). Pp. 34–40. (In Rus.)
Savkovich E.V. Border settlement in the West of the PRC in the 1990s–2000s (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan). Tomsk State University Journal. 2010. No. 336. Pp. 86–92. (In Rus.)
Sapanov S.Zh., Makhmedinov Zh.Zh. Legal framework of the border issue between Kazakhstan and China. Globus: Humanities. 2019. No. 4 (30). Pp. 7–9. (In Rus.)
Sarkytkan K., Masimkhanuly D. Chinese Kazakhs and the diaspora problem: From the point of view of the development of geopolitical and regional relations. Otan Tarihy (History of the Homeland). 2023. Vol. 26. No. 3. Pp. 438–453. (In Kazakh). DOI: 10.51943/1814-6961_2023_3_438.
Syroezhkin K.L. China in Central Asia: From trade to strategic partnership. Central Asia and the Caucasus. 2007. No. 3 (51). Pp. 47–60. (In Rus.)
Tkachenko B.I. Formation of the Western part of the state border between Russia and China in treaty documents of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Society and State in China. 2017. No. 1. Pp. 650–661. (In Rus.)
Tian Ye. Relations of the People’s Republic of China with the states of Central Asia in 1991–2013. Dis. ... of Cand. Sci. (Polit.). Moscow: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, 2014. 189 p.
Jiang Yi. History of the issue of the Sino-Russian border and the significance of its solution for strengthening interstate relations between Russia and China. World of Russian-Speaking Countries. 2020. No. 3 (5). Pp. 18–36. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.24411/2658-7866-2020-10022.
Keywords:
Kazakhstan, China, delimitation, demarcation, state border, cross-border cooperation, Khorgos, oralmans, kandas, territorial settlement.
