Shift in Automotive Markets Driven by Price and Quality
In Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, car dealer Auyez Kabdygali is restructuring his business operations to prioritize Chinese electric vehicles over European imports. The 33-year-old dealer reports increasing demand for Chinese-made electric vehicles from both local Kazakh consumers and Russian customers, citing competitive pricing and quality as primary drivers for the shift.
Kabdygali’s personal investment in this transition is significant. His grandfather has placed an order for a BYD Han, the carmaker’s flagship model, with plans to collect the vehicle from a terminal on the border with China before driving it hundreds of kilometers back to their home.
The presence of Chinese automotive brands and technology is visible across Astana, a city with a population exceeding 1.3 million people. The cityscape features modern architectural landmarks alongside Soviet-era blocks, and a newly opened Chinese-built light rail train operates along the city’s central axis.
Economic Benefits Reshape Public Sentiment
Kabdygali’s positive outlook on China is influenced by personal experiences, including visits to China and friendships formed while studying English in Malaysia. His brother attended a university course in Shanghai in 2007, and the family traveled to Hainan and Beijing in 2012.
He drives a BYD vehicle, uses the Alipay payment system, and watches Chinese gaming streamers on YouTube. Kabdygali views China as a friendly neighbor with cultural similarities to Kazakhstan that differ from those of the United States. He stated that Chinese products help everyday life and maintain the economy, adding that trade with China is necessary because "the whole world buys from the country."
Kabdygali expressed hope that Kazakhstan can export more food and manufactured goods to China to balance the existing trade deficit. He dismissed concerns regarding competition between the United States and China, claiming the U.S. manipulates global affairs and invades countries while China focuses on its own economy.
Academic Study Reveals Fluctuating Regional Attitudes
While individual perspectives like Kabdygali’s are positive, broader public sentiment in Central Asia has fluctuated. A study published in August in the journal Post-Soviet Affairs found that favorable attitudes towards China dipped in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan after Beijing launched the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013.
The research, which surveyed more than 49,000 people across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan between 2017 and 2023, indicates that public sentiment has turned more positive since 2021 due to tangible economic benefits.
From Backlash to Acceptance
Jessica Neafie, co-author of the study and assistant professor at Kazakhstan’s Nazarbayev University, stated that early exposure to China and visible investments triggered a backlash fueled by concerns for foreign investment's effect on local identity and nationalism.
The study pointed to heightened anti-Beijing sentiment that led to a Chinese firm scrapping a US$280 million logistics center project in Kyrgyzstan in 2020 after hundreds of residents protested. However, Neafie said public sentiment improved as tangible economic results emerged, with people seeing jobs, infrastructure, and benefits rather than harm to their concerns.
Geopolitical Balancing Act
The broader Central Asian region has become a crowded arena for diplomacy, with Beijing, Washington, Tokyo, and Seoul competing for strategic influence. Observers note that while Beijing has made economic inroads, there is still skepticism towards China in the region and unease over its rivalry with the United States.
Astana is actively trying to balance relations with both powers, navigating a complex geopolitical landscape where economic dependence on China coexists with strategic caution regarding American influence.