China Thanks Kazakhs For Backing Xinjiang Action

China has thanked Kazakhstan for supporting its crackdown on the restive far west region of Xinjiang, where Beijing is accused of rights abuses against minority groups, including ethnic Kazakhs.

This came after Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Kazakhstan counterpart Beibut Atamkulov in Beijing on Thursday.

According to a statement by the foreign ministry, Atamkulov said his country "understands and supports the measures taken by Xinjiang region" to rein in terrorism, separatism and extremism.

"We appreciate the Kazakhstan government's understanding and support for China's position," said Wang.

"We will never allow anyone, any force, to undermine China-Kazakhstan friendship and mutual trust," he added.

The Kazakhstan foreign ministry did not mention Xinjiang in its own statement on Atamkulov's visit to China.

But it said the two top diplomats discussed the "issue of the situation with ethnic Kazakhs living in" China.

The two sides "stressed a mutual interest in resolving emerging issues through working contacts" between the foreign ministries and an agreement was reached "on the revitalisation of consular services", the statement added.

Oil-rich Kazakhstan, which shares a border with the Xinjiang region, has been treading a diplomatic tightrope since major trading partner China began to forcibly send ethnic Kazakhs to internment camps under its anti-extremism policy. (AFP)