Abstract
Abstract This article explores the societal impact of a group of Kazakh graduates from Chinese universities on reducing anti-China perceptions in Kazakhstan. Based on the results of the semi-structured interviews with 26 Kazakh graduates from Chinese universities, this study found that the former students were willing to educate people about China but tended to avoid addressing the issue of Sinophobia by adopting a passive and confrontation-averse approach. Moreover, the experiences of a small group of Kazakh graduates revealed that they increased their knowledge of China, but without experiencing a complete attitudinal change. Building upon the conceptual framework of human agency, the paper argues that the participants of this study do not present themselves as China’s para-diplomats and instead follow their pragmatic calculations. This article rejects the New Great Game perspective of Central Asia that considers the local population as being void of agency and susceptible to the narratives of regional actors.