The Associated Press reports:
Bustling trade between China and Kyrgyzstan has slowed to a trickle since deadly violence broke out in Kyrgyzstan, and experts say the crisis could diminish Beijing’s economic clout in the country while bolstering rival Russia’s already dominant influence.
Most days, as many as 200 trucks loaded with televisions, apples, T-shirts and other Chinese goods enter Kyrgyzstan at the Yi’erkeshitan Pass. On Thursday, however, no trucks and just four people crossed at the pass high in the Tianshan mountains in far western China’s Xinjiang region, according to an official with the border crossing administration.
“The entry is still open, but what happened in Kyrgyzstan really had an impact on the flow of people and trade across the border,” said the man, who like many Chinese bureaucrats would give only his surname, Wang.
