Asqar Azatbek was in Kazakhstan near the border with China, ringed by soaring mountains and desert plains, when a car screeched to a halt beside him.
A group of men climbed out, ordering him to lie face down on the ground and hand over his passport. Within minutes, they bundled the 56-year-old Kazakh into the car and sped away into China.
“He was kidnapped violently by the Chinese,” said Gaukhar Kurmanaliyeva, Asqar’s cousin. “This is a major violation, as they didn’t have any right to take away a Kazakh citizen from Kazakh territory.”
Asqar was in Khorgos, a special trade zone backed by Beijing, when he was snatched off the streets by suspected Chinese agents.
The small Kazakh town happens to be the gateway to China’s Belt and Road Initiative – a $1 trillion network of railroads, ports and other infrastructure spanning across the world.