Chinese workers eating all of Tajikistan’s turtles?

DAVID TRILLING/EurasiaNet

There’s a funny thing happening in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan right now, where efforts are underway to revive part of the old Silk Road from China to Europe. Thousands of Chinese workers are flooding the country, building roads and bridges under contract with the Tajikistan government. That in itself is hardly remarkable; the same basic story is happening all over Africa and elsewhere in Asia.

What’s interesting is that many Tajiks are accusing voracious Chinese workers of eating their way through the turtle and snake populations in certain areas. There have been a few media reports about this, but mainly in Russian. According to a friend of mine who spent the summer in Dushanbe, the capital, it’s all people were talking about. I hesitate to draw any strong inferences from what amount to rumors and perhaps unfair stereotyping, but I do think there’s a point to be made here: As China’s influence in the region continues to rise, the Chinese could face a backlash if they don’t tread very carefully. Just look at what happened in Pakistan with alleged Chinese sex workers. This whole “China rising” phenomenon is turning out to be a pretty tricky business indeed.