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Belt and Road Initiative

Belt and Road Initiative
The initiative spearheaded by the Chinese government and endorsed by President Xi Jinping in late 2013 aims to improve trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Kazakh Agriculture Vice-Minister Yermek Kenzhekhanuly (left) and Liu Huanxin, head of China’s National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, pose at the signing for the creation of a grain-trading platform, in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 21. Photo: Handout
China food security

Opinion | How Asian food security is shifting away from the West

The platform offers a future where Asian nations are less dependent on maritime chokepoints and Western-aligned supply chains.

Hong Kong economy

Make use of Hong Kong’s advantages, John Lee urges Kazakhstan leaders, companies

Science

How Chinese green tech and investment are reshaping the Central Asian landscape

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China-Latin America relations

Panama rejects US pressure claims as it seeks to ease China tensions

Panamanian president looks to defuse issues with Beijing as South American country attempts to renew key China maritime agreement.

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Containers sit at the Balboa terminal, formerly run by CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports, after the Panama government ordered the occupation of the port following a court ruling that the concession was unconstitutional. Photo: AP
Hong Kong economy

China Mobile plans fresh Central Asia link to Hong Kong submarine cable network

Telecoms giant’s announcement comes ahead of Hong Kong leader John Lee’s first official visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in early June.

Hong Kong economy

Private equity firm Templewater primed as Hong Kong deepens Central Asia ties

Chairman Cliff Zhang says company positioning itself as ‘superconnector’ to channel Middle East funds into emerging market amid volatility elsewhere.

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Alibaba

‘Sharif speed’ meets Qwen AI: how Alibaba sealed a sweeping deal with Pakistan

Chairman Joe Tsai uses firm’s mobile AI tool to draft a sweeping tech pact in moments, as ‘frontier technologies’ increasingly enter the global limelight.

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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) meets the chairman of Alibaba Group, Joe Tsai, on Sunday. Photo: handout
Asean

China’s new US$10.7 billion canal near completion to boost Asean trade links

The Pinglu Canal – a US$10 billion waterway connecting China’s heartlands to the Gulf of Tonkin – will begin trial operations as soon as September.

China-Russia relations

China and Russia unite on world order, but Putin departs without concrete gains

Analysts say Beijing’s position in managing three-way ties appears to be strengthened after hosting Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

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China-Middle East relations

China breaks ground on Gulf aviation megaproject in shadow of Iran war

A state-owned firm has launched work on a massive aviation complex, signalling continued confidence amid regional conflict.

China Railway Construction Corporation chairman Dai Hegen (third from right) and Emirates Airline and Group chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum (fourth from right) attend the groundbreaking ceremony for a major aviation complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s Central Asia pivot aims to boost belt and road role, analysts say

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are logical destinations for city to pursue business opportunities amid geopolitical uncertainty, analysts say.

Baiterek Tower in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Hong Kong leader John Lee will lead a delegation to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan early next month to explore new business opportunities in Central Asia. Photo: Getty Images
China technology

China’s BeiDou leads GPS, other rivals across belt and road network: report

Products and services compatible with China’s navigation system have captured 58 per cent market share in countries in the trade initiative.

Hong Kong economy

Exclusive | Kazakhstan to deepen financial services cooperation with Hong Kong, consul says

Envoy Bauyrzhan Dosmanbetov attributes growth of local Kazakhstani community to Belt and Road Scholarship programme launched in 2016.

Yuan

Editorial | Why China’s yuan is gaining appeal

More countries find yuan financing attractive. Even without full convertibility, the Chinese currency offers something invaluable.

Many mainstream economists think the yuan faces insurmountable barriers to internationalising as a major currency because of domestic capital controls. They are not wrong, but Beijing has different goals. Photo: Shutterstock
Bangladesh

Bangladesh turns to China for Teesta river project, testing India ties

Bangladesh’s new prime minister has formally asked China to help with a long-delayed river project near the sensitive Siliguri Corridor.

The Teesta River flows through Sevok in India’s West Bengal state, around 60km north of the Bangladesh border and some 20km east of Siliguri. Photo: AFP
China trade

How a China-backed highway may turn landlocked Laos into a trade gateway

The project is part of wider efforts to build overland trade corridors linking southern China with the Mekong region.

Hong Kong economy

Uzbek PM Abdulla Aripov to join ‘milestone’ 200-member delegation in Hong Kong

Prime minister to meet city leader John Lee on Wednesday and join Uzbek officials and business leaders already exploring opportunities.

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Banking & finance

Kazakhstan’s AIFC discussing stock-trading links with Shanghai, Hong Kong

Cross-border trading connections could start with ETFs, says special economic zone’s governor.

A view of the Astana International Financial Centre in Kazakhstan. Photo: Handout
Sri Lanka

Elephant in room: can Sri Lanka’s ‘world’s emptiest airport’ attract investors?

Since opening in 2013, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport has failed to generate enough revenue to cover even its electricity bills.

Mainland China

Pakistani president’s visit seeks to bolster ‘full spectrum’ of ties with China

Asif Ali Zardari’s visit also comes at a time when Islamabad is seeking to play a key role in ending the US-Israeli war on Iran.

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China-EU relations

Opinion | Middle East shipping crisis elevates China-Europe railway’s profile

Geopolitical strife has taken the China-Europe railway from an alternative to an essential part of continental connectivity.

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A China-Europe goods train departs from Tongjiang, Heilongjiang province, on December 9, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
China’s private sector

Muddy yet clear-cut: how Chinese investors are turning jungle into a new capital

Chinese construction firms keen to cement trade ties with Jakarta through multimillion dollar projects to build a brand new centre of power.

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Construction started on a Chinese-invested commercial centre at Ibu Kota Nusantara, the future Indonesian capital, on September 22, 2025. Photo: Ralph Jennings
Central Asia

As US-Iran war chokes Hormuz, can ‘Middle Corridor’ rise to the rescue?

Logistics route via Central Asia, South Caucasus, Caspian Sea and Turkey said to be ‘experiencing massive operational momentum’.

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Global monetary policy

Editorial | Chinese yuan slowly but surely cutting into US dollar dominance

Kazakhstan’s issuance of yuan-denominated debt shows developing nations can use ‘panda bonds’ as stepping stones into global capital markets.

China-Latin America relations

US will help Peru ‘take back’ Chancay port from China, Congress chair says

Maria Elvira Salazar warns port’s ‘dual usage’ potential could enable Chinese submarines, carriers and warships to operate from Peru.

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Boats in the water, in front of cranes at the Chinese-built Chancay megaport operated by Cosco Shipping, in Chancay, Peru. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong society

Opinion | 4 identities Hong Kong must embrace to provide global leadership

The city can be a bedrock for world commerce, finance, governance and civilisational exchange as we enter a new phase of globalisation.

People walk through Central on August 15, 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse
Central Asia

Opinion | Why China is looking to Central Asia as Middle East grows riskier

The region’s strategic value as a corridor of resilience is becoming harder to ignore.

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Xinjiang

Why has China mapped out a third new county in Xinjiang on its western frontier?

Cenling county, near Pakistan and Afghan borders and disputed frontier with India, follows Hean and Hekang as Beijing boosts security.

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