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Kazakhstan

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Kazakhstan. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Astana

Head of State

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Head of Government

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has mobilised the army and recalled diplomats from Tehran following Iranian drone strikes that hit an airport in his country. Photo: AFP

Central Asia

Beyond a ‘buffer zone’: how the Iran war is recalibrating Central Asian ties

The former Soviet republics are leveraging diplomatic fallout from conflict to assert autonomy and balance major powers, observers say.

15 Mar 2026 - 2:00PMvideocam

Food and Drinks

Why horse meat and nomadic tea rituals anchor this new eatery in Central

10 Mar 2026 - 11:00AM

India

India’s 100GW nuclear push was missing one thing. Canada just provided it

3 Mar 2026 - 4:29PMvideocam

Central Asia

Trains through the Taliban: Central Asia’s plan to bypass Russia and Iran

The Soviet Union severed Central Asia’s ancient trade routes to the Indian subcontinent. The region’s modern-day leaders want them back.

2 Mar 2026 - 11:21AMvideocam

A Taliban guard walks along railway tracks near a TAPI pipeline construction site at the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan border in 2024. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

China has ‘massively expanded’ its nuclear arsenal, claims US State Department

Beijing’s UN ambassador Shen Jian said China opposes the smearing of its nuclear policy and ‘would not engage in any nuclear arms race’.

24 Feb 2026 - 4:48AM

China-Russia relations

As Central Asia builds ‘smart cities’ with China, is it moving away from Russia?

Lack of Russian involvement in the mega-projects is seen as part of a broader structural shift as the region moves ‘closer to the world’.

11 Feb 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Climate change

Opinion | Why China and Europe should care about Central Asia’s water crisis

Central Asian rivers shape Eurasian trade flows, affect global food markets and contribute to geopolitical instability across the region.

3 Feb 2026 - 5:30AM

The Dzungarian Alatau mountain range in Kazakhstan. Photo: Central Asia

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

‘For the world’: Trump launches his Board of Peace that some see rivalling UN

The US president signed the board’s charter at a ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

22 Jan 2026 - 8:49PMvideocam

Belt and Road Initiative

US trade war? China had bigger plans in 2025 as ‘belt and road’ deals surged

China’s global infrastructure strategy logged a record US$213 billion of new deals in 2025, as metals projects in Central Asia soared, report finds.

19 Jan 2026 - 11:00PMvideocam

Food and Drinks

First Look: Yurt, Hong Kong’s ‘first modern Central Asian restaurant’

The Kazakh founders of this SoHo restaurant eventually aim to expand it into a cultural hub, seeing an outpouring of support from the local Central Asian community.

8 Jan 2026 - 2:02PM

A take on the traditional Central Asian dining space, known as dastarkhan, at Yurt in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Ukraine war

Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war

For hubs of transit trade from Armenia to the UAE, economic self-interest is best served by having sanctions on Russia in place indefinitely.

23 Dec 2025 - 4:30PM

A “Give peace a chance” mural depicting musician John Lennon overlooks anti-drone nets along a road in the city of Izyum in Ukraine on December 12. Photo: EPA

Food and Drinks

New restaurant Yurt brings Kazakhstan’s horsemeat tradition to Hong Kong

Horsemeat is a central part of Kazakh and Central Asian culture and, for the team at Yurt, there was no question of it not being on the menu.

23 Dec 2025 - 2:24PM

Japan

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:41PMvideocam

China-Russia relations

Chinese firms gear up for Russia’s reopening amid talks aimed at peace deal

Many Chinese exporters expect the first wave of post-war demand in Russia to come from infrastructure.

7 Dec 2025 - 8:57PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses reporters after attending the Russia Calling! investment forum in Moscow on December 2. Photo: EPA

US-China relations

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

6 Dec 2025 - 6:51AMvideocam

Ukraine war

Kazakhstan tells Ukraine to stop Black Sea oil terminal attacks

Ukraine has mounted wave after wave of attacks on Russia’s oil refineries and crude oil terminals in an attempt to undermine the Russian war economy.

30 Nov 2025 - 5:33PM

Hong Kong environmental issues

Letters | Rare stingray in Victoria Harbour a welcome sign of nature’s restoration

Readers discuss how Hong Kong’s marine conservation efforts are paying off, plans for a residential development in a Tai Po site, and geopolitical contests in Central Asia.

20 Nov 2025 - 11:30AM

US-China relations

Opinion | As US and China turn their eyes to Central Asia, Russia loses out

The region that has traditionally been in Russia’s geopolitical orbit is turning into a new arena of competition between the US and China.

18 Nov 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a dinner with leaders of Central Asian countries in the East Room of the White House on November 6. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Banking & finance

Yuan rapidly gaining ground as Chinese firms plot global expansion

Yuan’s use in cross-border payments rose 14 per cent year on year to 35 trillion yuan (US$4.9 trillion), according to the People’s Bank of China.

17 Nov 2025 - 2:38PM

US-China trade war

US ‘knocking on every country’s door’ as it races to secure rare earth supplies

Washington is determined to break China’s rare earths chokehold in case ties with Beijing fray once again, analysts say.

10 Nov 2025 - 11:00PMvideocam

Central Asia

Why did Kazakhstan join the Abraham Accords if Israel wasn’t the reason?

It’s all part of the ‘Great Game 2.0’, with Kazakhstan seeing the US as a hedge against China and Russia’s influence, analysts say.

10 Nov 2025 - 5:06PMvideocam

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump at the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020. Photo: AFP

Art

Kazakh fabric artist reflects on inherited ‘traumas’ in Hong Kong show

The Mills becomes Berlin-based Gulnur Mukazhanova’s canvas as she uses Central Asian textiles to explore perspective and question hope.

10 Nov 2025 - 4:15PM

Kazakh artist Gulnur Mukazhanova stands beside her installation False Hope or Moment of the Present, at the Mills in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong. The piece, on show until November 30, kicks off her exhibition Dowry of the Soul, which runs from November 14 to March 1, 2026. Photo: Chat

Donald Trump

Trump hosts Central Asian leaders as US eyes sources for critical minerals

The C5+1 summit marks Washington’s effort to expand influence in a resource-rich region long dominated by Russia and increasingly courted by China.

7 Nov 2025 - 1:44PMvideocam

Start-ups

Tencent-backed Uzbek start-up eyes pre-IPO funding round in Hong Kong

Uzum co-founder Nikolay Seleznev is looking at a potential listing in 2027, including in Hong Kong, London, Abu Dhabi and Nasdaq.

5 Nov 2025 - 9:00AM

US-China relations

Opinion | A US-China thaw could boost Eurasian trade

While China’s interest in Central Asian infrastructure is well established through its Belt and Road Initiative, the US is quietly becoming more active in the region too.

4 Nov 2025 - 4:30PM

A view of Almaty, a cargo hub in Kazakhstan, in 2023. Kazakhstan, which links the large markets of Europe and Asia, has become critical in international transport. Photo: Xinhua

Energy

Opec agrees to output increase, moderates plans due to glut fears

Opec has raised output targets by more than 2.7 million bpd since April but slowed the pace in October and November amid predictions of oversupply.

2 Nov 2025 - 9:31PM

Ukraine war

Trump urged Zelensky to make concessions to Russia in tense meeting: sources

US president reportedly pushed the Ukrainian leader to accept Russia’s current battle lines as a permanent ceasefire deal.

20 Oct 2025 - 1:16PM

Banking & finance

Editorial | Hong Kong’s reinvention ensures its future as a thriving financial hub

From the expansion of services to experimentation in new tools, the city is becoming a one-stop shop in cross-border finance and banking.

14 Oct 2025 - 6:45AM

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Kazakhstan

Beyond a ‘buffer zone’: how the Iran war is recalibrating Central Asian ties

The former Soviet republics are leveraging diplomatic fallout from conflict to assert autonomy and balance major powers, observers say.

Why horse meat and nomadic tea rituals anchor this new eatery in Central

India’s 100GW nuclear push was missing one thing. Canada just provided it

Trains through the Taliban: Central Asia’s plan to bypass Russia and Iran

The Soviet Union severed Central Asia’s ancient trade routes to the Indian subcontinent. The region’s modern-day leaders want them back.

China has ‘massively expanded’ its nuclear arsenal, claims US State Department

Beijing’s UN ambassador Shen Jian said China opposes the smearing of its nuclear policy and ‘would not engage in any nuclear arms race’.

As Central Asia builds ‘smart cities’ with China, is it moving away from Russia?

Lack of Russian involvement in the mega-projects is seen as part of a broader structural shift as the region moves ‘closer to the world’.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Why China and Europe should care about Central Asia’s water crisis

Central Asian rivers shape Eurasian trade flows, affect global food markets and contribute to geopolitical instability across the region.

‘For the world’: Trump launches his Board of Peace that some see rivalling UN

The US president signed the board’s charter at a ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

US trade war? China had bigger plans in 2025 as ‘belt and road’ deals surged

China’s global infrastructure strategy logged a record US$213 billion of new deals in 2025, as metals projects in Central Asia soared, report finds.

First Look: Yurt, Hong Kong’s ‘first modern Central Asian restaurant’

The Kazakh founders of this SoHo restaurant eventually aim to expand it into a cultural hub, seeing an outpouring of support from the local Central Asian community.

Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war

For hubs of transit trade from Armenia to the UAE, economic self-interest is best served by having sanctions on Russia in place indefinitely.

New restaurant Yurt brings Kazakhstan’s horsemeat tradition to Hong Kong

Horsemeat is a central part of Kazakh and Central Asian culture and, for the team at Yurt, there was no question of it not being on the menu.

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

Chinese firms gear up for Russia’s reopening amid talks aimed at peace deal

Many Chinese exporters expect the first wave of post-war demand in Russia to come from infrastructure.

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

Kazakhstan tells Ukraine to stop Black Sea oil terminal attacks

Ukraine has mounted wave after wave of attacks on Russia’s oil refineries and crude oil terminals in an attempt to undermine the Russian war economy.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Rare stingray in Victoria Harbour a welcome sign of nature’s restoration

Readers discuss how Hong Kong’s marine conservation efforts are paying off, plans for a residential development in a Tai Po site, and geopolitical contests in Central Asia.

Opinion | As US and China turn their eyes to Central Asia, Russia loses out

The region that has traditionally been in Russia’s geopolitical orbit is turning into a new arena of competition between the US and China.

Yuan rapidly gaining ground as Chinese firms plot global expansion

Yuan’s use in cross-border payments rose 14 per cent year on year to 35 trillion yuan (US$4.9 trillion), according to the People’s Bank of China.

US ‘knocking on every country’s door’ as it races to secure rare earth supplies

Washington is determined to break China’s rare earths chokehold in case ties with Beijing fray once again, analysts say.

Why did Kazakhstan join the Abraham Accords if Israel wasn’t the reason?

It’s all part of the ‘Great Game 2.0’, with Kazakhstan seeing the US as a hedge against China and Russia’s influence, analysts say.

Kazakh fabric artist reflects on inherited ‘traumas’ in Hong Kong show

The Mills becomes Berlin-based Gulnur Mukazhanova’s canvas as she uses Central Asian textiles to explore perspective and question hope.

Trump hosts Central Asian leaders as US eyes sources for critical minerals

The C5+1 summit marks Washington’s effort to expand influence in a resource-rich region long dominated by Russia and increasingly courted by China.

Tencent-backed Uzbek start-up eyes pre-IPO funding round in Hong Kong

Uzum co-founder Nikolay Seleznev is looking at a potential listing in 2027, including in Hong Kong, London, Abu Dhabi and Nasdaq.

Opinion | A US-China thaw could boost Eurasian trade

While China’s interest in Central Asian infrastructure is well established through its Belt and Road Initiative, the US is quietly becoming more active in the region too.

Opec agrees to output increase, moderates plans due to glut fears

Opec has raised output targets by more than 2.7 million bpd since April but slowed the pace in October and November amid predictions of oversupply.

Trump urged Zelensky to make concessions to Russia in tense meeting: sources

US president reportedly pushed the Ukrainian leader to accept Russia’s current battle lines as a permanent ceasefire deal.

Editorial | Hong Kong’s reinvention ensures its future as a thriving financial hub

From the expansion of services to experimentation in new tools, the city is becoming a one-stop shop in cross-border finance and banking.

Opinion | Why China and Europe should care about Central Asia’s water crisis

Letters | Rare stingray in Victoria Harbour a welcome sign of nature’s restoration