After the collapse of the Soviet Union, five independent states were formed in Central Asia, the boundaries of which were artificially established by the Soviet regime without taking into account the ethnic and cultural characteristics of the regions. As the newly independent countries were working to establish their own economies and political institutions, they also had to define and secure their new borders.
One of the most hotly contested areas was the Fergana Valley, which was divided among three states – Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. In some places, borders have yet to be demarcated, and talks are ongoing. Tensions persist over not just ethnicity but also control over resources. On the latter, one of the biggest areas of contention is water, as states compete for access to supplies from the region’s many rivers and canals.
Kyrgyzstan -Tajikistan Border Conflict: Central Asian Lethal Knot and Future of Chinese Vision
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Kyrgyzstan -Tajikistan Border Conflict: Central Asian Lethal Knot and Future of Chinese Vision
dnd.com.pk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dnd.com.pk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will not withdraw navy and coastguard boats patrolling the disputed South China Sea, insisting the country’s sovereignty over the waters is not negotiable. At the same time, he added that he wants to maintain friendly ties with China, citing Manila’s “debt of gratitude” for Beijing’s help with the coronavirus vaccine.
Tensions over the regional sea, which China claims almost entirely, have spiked as Beijing refuses to withdraw its vessels from the Philippines’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and as Manila steps up maritime patrols.
Duterte is under growing domestic pressure to take a harder line but has been reluctant to confront China over the issue as he tries to foster closer ties with the economic giant.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a fairer system of global governance, even as Beijing faces growing accusations from its own neighbours of “bullying” in the Asia-Pacific region.
Declaring the world “wants justice, not hegemony” Xi told delegates at the annual Boao Forum for Asia that “bossing others around or meddling in others’ internal affairs would not get one any support.”
The China-based forum is a gathering of political and business leaders intended as Asia’s answer to Davos.
“We must advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are common values of humanity, and encourage exchanges and mutual learning among civilisations to promote the progress of human civilisation,” Xi said.