ALMATY/NUR-SULTAN—Kazakhs protesting against the construction of Chinese factories held public rallies in three Kazakh cities on Sept. 4, demanding a ban on an initiative which the Central Asian nation’s government hoped would bring investment and jobs.
Neighboring China is already one of the oil-rich former Soviet republic’s biggest investors and trade partners, but its broad presence and Beijing’s campaign to “de-radicalize” ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region have contributed to a growing anti-Chinese sentiment.
