TOPIC

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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

The special economic zone in Kazakhstan’s capital has positioned itself as a financial gateway for Chinese investment. Photo: Xinhua

IPO

‘Icebreaker’ dual listing sparks interest from Kazakh and Chinese companies

Cross-border equity and debt deals stand to tap Hong Kong’s deep pools of liquidity if dual-listing becomes a template for investors.

21 Sep 2025 - 10:10AM

IPO

Zijin Gold launches second-biggest Hong Kong IPO of the year

19 Sep 2025 - 4:02PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | Focusing on pageantry, the West misses the point of China’s diplomacy

19 Sep 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

IPO

Zijin Gold’s Hong Kong IPO draws GIC, Millennium and Hillhouse, sources say

The company could raise more than US$3 billion and could start taking orders from other investors and the public as soon as Friday.

18 Sep 2025 - 6:25PM

Zijin Gold, a unit of China’s biggest miner, Zijin Mining Group, has been pursuing rapid expansions and numerous acquisitions across gold and copper. Photo: Reuters

Archaeology and palaeontology

Central Asia beckons for China’s cultural tourists retracing ancient Silk Road

Beijing’s infrastructure programme and other partnership initiatives with the Central Asian republics have seen visitor numbers soar.

15 Sep 2025 - 12:00PMvideocam

Central Asia

Opinion | In race for Central Asia’s rare earths, China is leaving US in the dust

Washington’s overtures to the region may only go so far – geographical proximity and capacity for critical mineral processing are advantages the US does not enjoy.

14 Sep 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

Banking & finance

Hong Kong leverages ‘superconnector’ status as China-GCC trade booms

Booming China-GCC trade underscores Hong Kong’s gateway role.

11 Sep 2025 - 6:35PM

Ronald Lam Siu-por, CEO of Cathay Pacific, attending the Cathay 2024 Annual Results press briefing at JW Marriott Hotel in Admiralty. 12MAR25. SCMP / May Tse

E-commerce

China-Kazakhstan cross-border e-commerce ties to grow: Freedom Holding CEO

Kazakhstan has been the primary destination for China’s Belt and Road Initiative investments in the first six months of 2025.

11 Sep 2025 - 7:00AM

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong signs deals worth US$1 billion with belt and road countries

John Lee says city’s external trade with countries under initiative exceeded US$276 billion last year, an 80 per cent increase since 2013.

10 Sep 2025 - 10:11PM

Energy

Key Opec members send ‘big message’ with higher oil production

Opec has in recent years implemented several output cuts amounting to a total of almost six million barrels per day.

7 Sep 2025 - 11:42PMvideocam

Headquarters of Opec in Vienna, Austria. Oil ministers in Opec’s V8 grouping – comprising Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman – will increase production by 137,000 barrels a day from October. Photo: AFP

SCO

Xi’s diplomatic blitz casts new light on China’s foreign policy

Chinese president’s meetings this week with several key leaders highlight Beijing’s shifting overseas priorities.

4 Sep 2025 - 5:23PMvideocam

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin this week. Erdogan was one of several leaders Xi met during bilateral talks over the week. Photo: Handout/Turkish Presidential Service/ AFP

Belt and Road Initiative

China’s Xi Jinping wants more Luban Workshops worldwide – but what are they?

The vocational education programme, a less well-known project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, has been brought up in several speeches.

2 Sep 2025 - 7:00PMvideocam

SCO

Foreign leaders ride the rapid rails of China’s tech prowess after SCO summit

Blazing from Tianjin to Beijing on China’s signature high-speed railway, several state leaders are given a glimpse of rapid and lucrative modernisation efforts.

5 Sep 2025 - 11:35AMvideocam

SCO

SCO summit 2025: showcase of how far bloc has come in nearly a quarter century

Starting with six, group now unites 26 nations across Asia, Europe and Africa on not just security challenges but trade, diplomacy and more.

2 Sep 2025 - 3:40PMvideocam

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has evolved from a small consultative group focused on regional border security, the “Shanghai Five”, into a comprehensive Eurasian organisation. Photo: EPA-EFE

Diplomacy

SCO has a 10-year plan for a multipolar world, China’s Wang Yi says

SCO Development Strategy until 2035 has ‘set the tone and a clear direction’ for the decade to come, top Chinese diplomat tells reporters.

2 Sep 2025 - 2:33AMvideocam

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks to media after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation leaders’ summit in Tianjin, China, on Monday. Photo: AP

IPO

Tungsten miner Jiaxin’s dual listing enhances global profile of Hong Kong, yuan

The Chinese company, with its only project in Kazakhstan, raised funds on the Hong Kong and Astana stock exchanges.

28 Aug 2025 - 4:11PM

Belt and Road Initiative

China steps up Belt and Road Initiative funding with focus on Central Asia

The region received an ‘unusually high concentration’ of investment, particularly in metals and mining, new research has found.

28 Aug 2025 - 12:11AMvideocam

SCO

Opinion | Beijing expands its influence in Eurasia as Trump triggers geopolitical shifts

While US policies are pushing China, Russia and India closer to each other, Eurasia is still marked by differences and contradictions.

26 Aug 2025 - 6:30AM

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi, India on August 18, ahead of the Indian prime minister’s first visit to China in seven years. Photo: Indian Foreign Ministry via AP

Hong Kong economy

Exclusive | Hong Kong’s commerce chief to visit Singapore to bolster trade ties

Algernon Yau says Singapore ‘a friend rather than a rival’ ahead of trip to mark 30th anniversary of economic and trade office in city state.

25 Aug 2025 - 8:35AM

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Films from Egypt, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Turkey debut at Hong Kong festival

Third edition of Asean Film Festival, held between August 7 and 31, features 24 films from 14 countries.

17 Aug 2025 - 6:21PM

Crime in China

Chinese police mount Xinjiang manhunt for fugitive wanted over attack on 2 people

Authorities say attack took place near border with Kazakhstan and victims are in a stable condition.

30 Jul 2025 - 5:05PMvideocam

The attack took place in Emin county in Xinjiang. Photo: Handout

US-ally trade wars

Apparently impatient Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Japan, South Korea

Equal or higher tariffs imposed on others before Wednesday deadline.

8 Jul 2025 - 1:33PMvideocam

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shows a letter on tariffs from US President Donald Trump to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, during a press briefing at the White House on Monday. Photo: Reuters

United States

Hong Kong investors triple gold holdings in rush to haven asset: HSBC survey

Hong Kong investors allocate 11 per cent of their portfolios to gold and other precious metals, up from 4 per cent a year ago.

3 Jul 2025 - 7:32PM

Central Asia

Opinion | Why Central Asia plays a growing role in China’s strategic calculus

Cooperation on trade, infrastructure, energy and more shows that China sees Central Asia as an important trade partner and geopolitical buffer.

3 Jul 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Gold in Hong Kong

Zijin buys Kazakhstan gold mine ahead of overseas unit’s Hong Kong IPO

Firm says deal will help it become one of the world’s top three gold producers by 2028.

30 Jun 2025 - 4:56PM

The Raygorodok gold mine project. Photo: Handout

China trade

Suez Canal on rails? How this Chinese city wants to revolutionise global trade

The metropolis is already a rail-powered gateway to foreign markets – now, it wants to go one step further.

15 Jul 2025 - 3:26PM

Central Asia

Opinion | Why China’s Central Asian footprint is about to get bigger

Boosted by proximity and broad policy objectives, Beijing is slowly gaining the upper hand in the region over Moscow and the European Union.

22 Jun 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

Central Asia

Editorial | Central Asia friendship pact bolsters stability

President Xi Jinping stresses need for cooperation at summit between China and five states amid economic and geopolitical tensions.

21 Jun 2025 - 6:30AM

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