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Central Asia
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Central Asia

Central Asia
Central Asia
News from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
LNG storage tanks are seen in eastern China’s Jiangsu province on October 15. Photo: AFP
China energy security

China’s energy supply chain is withstanding test of Middle East war, expert says

Stronger domestic gas output and growing storage have shielded Beijing from global supply shocks, the chief of London-based firm says.

China’s Communist Party

War of words over Xinjiang erupts between Chinese and Turkish social media users

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Artificial intelligence

Jensen Huang pushes AI in energy-rich Kazakhstan, shrugs off bubble fears

Asia travel

I spent 4 days in Uzbekistan – and can’t wait to go back

A trip starting in the former Soviet state’s capital Tashkent reveals architecture, art and food shaped by centuries of cultural exchange.

The Bibi-Khanym Mosque is one of various awe-inspiring historical sites in Uzbekistan’s second city, Samarkand. Photo: Charmaine Yu
A view of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from a Soviet-era residential building, Dom Zhemchug. Photo: Charmaine Yu
Women working at a suzani traditional Uzbek embroidery workshop in Tashkent. Photo: Charmaine Yu
A cafe in leafy Tashkent. Photo: Charmaine Yu
Lunch in Tashkent, featuring a spread of shashlik and cured meats. Photo: Charmaine Yu
US-China relations

Rubio pitches US business in Central Asia, says China ties need not suffer

Washington and five Central Asian nations outline plans for cooperation on minerals, transport and technology during Rubio’s Uzbek visit.

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Mainland China

China moves to cement ties with Uzbekistan amid tussle with US in Central Asia

Premier Li Qiang said the two countries should ‘strengthen solidarity and cooperation’ during a visit to Tashkent.

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Wellness

‘It’s never hurt less’: Chinese runner’s knee pain fades on 20,000km trek

7,000km into her Silk Road endurance run from Vladivostok to Lisbon, Ria Xi shares the toll on her body and mind, from foot pain to migraines.

Ria Xi traverses the mountainous Duku Highway in Xinjiang, China. The Chinese ultrarunner began her 20,000km trek across Eurasia from Vladivostok, Russia, to Lisbon, Portugal, on May 1, 2026. Photo: Ruzai Hao
Belt and Road 2026

In Focus | Beyond EVs and perception, how China is gaining ground in Central Asia

Footprint can be seen across Kazakhstan’s futuristic capital Astana, as Beijing vies with Washington and others for influence in the region.

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US-China relations

US wants to ‘compete’ in Central Asia, ambassador says ahead of Rubio visit

American companies aim to play a bigger role in the region’s mining sector, Sergio Gor says, as Chinese influence grows.

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Nepal

‘Unprecedented’: how cascading disasters are devastating Nepal

Experts warn such events could become an ‘annual occurrence’ and urge the government to rethink its development model.

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Muddy water flows through the Budhi Gandaki river, separating Nepal’s Gorkha (left) and Dhading districts on Wednesday, in the aftermath of a flash flood caused by a dry landslide. Photo: AFP
Belt and Road Initiative

How traditional Chinese medicine is shaping Kazakhstan’s health system

Partnership is latest move by Beijing to engage the resource-rich country amid expanded ties in energy, security, trade and infrastructure.

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Cheng Kefan, interim charge d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan, speaks at Nazarbayev University in Astana during an event organised by the GX Foundation on Monday. Photo: Facebook/GX Foundation
China's military weapons

Turkmenistan grows its arsenal of Chinese air defences as Russia’s role shrinks

Amid regional instability, Central Asian nations look beyond Moscow for arms as the war in Ukraine drains Russian stocks.

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Afghanistan

ICC unseals arrest warrants for Taliban ministers

Court in The Hague accuses Afghan leaders of crimes against humanity stemming from curbs on women.

India

Why India’s missile deals in Central Asia matter to Russia and China

By supplying Akash missile systems, New Delhi offers Central Asian nations a cheap, reliable alternative.

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Akash missile systems are seen at India’s 76th Republic Day parade in New Delhi last year. Photo: Anadolu/Getty Images/AFP
Banking & finance

HKMA licenses Bakai Bank, city’s first from Central Asia

Bakai Bank, one of Kyrgyzstan’s largest lenders, set up in Hong Kong as China and Central Asia’s trade links are increasing.

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Bakai Bank Hong Kong’s CEO Andreas Meletiou. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong economy

8 more firms from Belt and Road Initiative countries apply for IPOs in Hong Kong

Trade promotion chief Frederick Ma says interest in Hong Kong’s capital markets has surged in Central Asia since official delegation visited region in June.

China food security

How crayfish raised in desert are nipping away at China’s food security fears

Government encouraging saline-alkaline aquaculture and inland fisheries to diversify food supplies and put abandoned land to use.

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China-Russia relations

Chinese troops line up for Russia’s Tsentr-2026 exercise as military ties tighten

The mass drill involved tens of thousands of personnel from SCO countries to apply lessons from Ukraine war, Moscow says.

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Russian military drones fly during military drills in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Photo: Getty Images
Xinjiang

In Focus | How US sanctions forced Xinjiang’s cotton industry to build a survival model

State support and tech upgrades help producers pivot, but they face tight profit margins, a ‘domestic decoupling’ and EU market spillover.

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Afghanistan

Afghanistan says 28 dead fighters came from Pakistan as Islamabad denies ties

Pakistan’s information ministry rejected all allegations that its security forces or intelligence agencies are involved in Afghanistan at all.

Art

Can Uzbekistan rival Dubai as the next global art hub?

The Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent’s inaugural exhibition sees 10 global artists examine the East through their own perspectives.

The Colour of Silence, In Search of Truth (2026), by Shokhrukh Rakhimov, at the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent (CCA), in Uzbekistan. Photo: Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation and Timur Epov
Kazakhstan

Reporter’s notebook: Kazakhstan trip shows promise, limits of Central Asia ties

It will soon be possible to fly direct from Hong Kong to Almaty, but in the meantime a little flexibility is required.

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The Nur-Astana Mosque is the third-largest mosque in Central Asia. Photo: AFP
China-Middle East relations

China affirms support for Iran, but warns against Yemen spillover

In talks with his Iranian counterpart in Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang Yi calls on Tehran and Washington to stay rational.

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Belt and Road 2026

Ancient Silk Road to modern Belt and Road: how Hong Kong bridges China and the Middle East

As the Middle East seeks economic diversification, Hong Kong acts as the financial gateway for investment.

Hong Kong transport

Hong Kong finance chief urges Cathay to keep fares attractive, add routes

Cathay Pacific targets 150 new aircraft and 150 global destinations over next decade, chairman Guy Bradley says.

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An aeroplane of Cathay Pacific takes off at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Elson Li
China trade

Kazakhstan to launch QR payments with China, expanding yuan’s reach in retail

Planned launch follows existing cooperation between super apps Alipay and Kaspi.kz, letting travellers use home-country app at certain merchants without exchanging cash.

A man demonstrates in April how a QR code is used to make a retail payment with the Alipay app in Indonesia. Kazakhstan now plans to launch QR-code payments with China by the end of this year. Photo: Xinhua
Belt and Road 2026

Editorial | Hong Kong cements superconnector role with wave of belt and road deals

The city has become central to the Belt and Road Initiative’s evolution from infrastructure projects to digital and hi-tech connectivity.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong to deepen ties with Global South and Middle East, finance chief says

Financial Secretary Paul Chan says city will build ‘networked, institutionalised’ links with emerging economies, from green finance to research and development.

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