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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

last updated:

29 November, 2024

A drone view shows the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. Photo: Reuters

Aviation accidents

Azerbaijani plane crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38 and injuring 29

The aircraft, which was carrying 67 people, was diverted from an area of Russia that Moscow recently defended against Ukrainian drones.

58 minutes agovideocam

Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Hong Kong and Xinjiang could be the core of Kazakhstan’s China strategy

16 Dec 2024 - 10:53AM

Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Why China’s outreach to Central Asia will only grow

11 Dec 2024 - 5:44PMvideocam

Belt and Road Initiative

Xinjiang eyes closer ties with Pakistan and Central Asia to offset US sanctions

Far west region boosts role as belt and road gateway by opening Pakistan border for the winter and growing ties with Kazakhstan’s Zhetysu.

3 Dec 2024 - 10:05AMvideocam

Khunjerab port, the sole border crossing connecting China and Pakistan, will remain open through the winter starting this year. Photo: Weibo/光影小帧

Central Asia

China seeks to boost energy ties with Turkmenistan

Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said he would seek to boost investment in the country at a meeting with his Central Asian counterparts.

1 Dec 2024 - 7:58PM

China-EU relations

Opinion | China and the EU have a logistics problem. Central Asia stands to benefit

Given the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, a safer trade route might be the one through Central Asia and the Caucasus.

23 Oct 2024 - 6:30PMvideocam

Science

China set to conduct nation’s first expeditions in the ‘land of the dinosaurs’

Leading Chinese scientist hopes project will be the ‘beginning of our international expeditions’ after decades of playing catch-up.

9 Oct 2024 - 11:07AMvideocam

Chinese dinosaur researcher Xu Xing gathers fossils at a field site. Photo: Handout

Central Asia

Kazakhstan votes on whether to build first nuclear plant

The country is looking to boost its power generation capacity with the construction of its first nuclear facility.

6 Oct 2024 - 3:24PM

Hong Kong economy

Exclusive | Kazakhstani envoy eyes stock market link-up with Hong Kong under belt and road plan

Almas Seitakynov, Kazakhstan’s top envoy in Hong Kong, says two economies should become ‘key hubs’ for trade linking Southern Europe and Asia.

6 Oct 2024 - 9:22PM

Energy

Opinion | Why Kazakhstan is pursuing its own nuclear power programme

The nation has good reason to consider nuclear energy, in service of both its own interests and adding to global climate change efforts.

27 Sep 2024 - 4:30PMvideocam

A drone view shows domes of the Central Mosque with the backdrop of the Tien Shan Mountains in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 7. Last year, Kazakhstan became a net importer of electricity as it struggled with a power deficit. Photo: Reuters

Bonds

Kazakh giant eyes Hong Kong’s dim sum bonds to fund cable project

The company’s telecoms unit Freedom Telecom plans to spend 107 billion tenge (US$236 million) until the end of 2027 on two projects in Kazakhstan.

12 Sep 2024 - 4:15PM

A view of Almaty in Kazakhstan on October 10, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Interest rates

July’s inflation blip will do little to derail US Fed’s September rate cut

The recent easing of price pressures has bolstered Fed officials’ confidence that they can start to lower borrowing costs while refocusing their attention on the labour market.

11 Aug 2024 - 11:46AM

Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | How emerging nations are already dethroning the West

The Belt and Road Initiative is picking up momentum amid increasing synergy with countries in the expanding Brics grouping.

27 Jul 2024 - 4:30PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | Western concerns about SCO must be allayed. Kazakhstan can help

Kazakhstan and its role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation contribute to efforts to find common ground, promoting cooperation that fosters global stability.

17 Jul 2024 - 4:01PMvideocam

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (right) attends a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3. Photo: Handout

Diplomacy

Opinion | Has China gained the upper hand over Russia in Kazakhstan?

The recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Astana offered a glimpse of the jockeying for geopolitical influence in Central Asia.

9 Jul 2024 - 8:30PM

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 4. Photo: Reuters/Sputnik

Asia travel

Spa, seaside … secret missile test range. Welcome to Priozersk

Kazakhstan’s former secret city of Priozersk is attempting to transform into a seaside resort, with its beautiful Lake Balkhash and Golden Sands spa contrasting with reminders of its Cold War heyday.

9 Jul 2024 - 11:15AM

Central Asia

How 2 years and Russia’s war in Ukraine shifted China’s ties with Central Asia

Xi Jinping visits Kazakhstan and Tajikistan as the region is increasingly looking to Beijing for security and investment guarantees, analyst says.

6 Jul 2024 - 9:00PMvideocam

China trade

‘This has come naturally’: China’s new Caspian Sea trade route sidesteps Russia

Despite its choppiness, the world’s biggest inland body of water has rapidly become a more desired journey for shipments than one through Russia or the Red Sea.

5 Jul 2024 - 9:30PM

President Xi Jinping made a state visit to Kazakhstan this week and met President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the capital Astana (pictured). Photo: Shutterstock

Narendra Modi

Editorial | Lost opportunity for Modi and China ties

By missing summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Indian PM has wasted chance to address strained relations between two countries.

5 Jul 2024 - 2:41AM

China-India relations

China-India border row ‘not in either side’s interest’, foreign ministers agree

In talks in Astana, Wang Yi and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar say the issues between the two Asian giants should be resolved as soon as possible.

4 Jul 2024 - 11:49PM

Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping warns SCO to ‘resist external interference’ in veiled swipe at US

Chinese leader issues plea for unity, warning members they faced a joint ‘threat’ from the ‘cold war mindset’.

4 Jul 2024 - 9:57PMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping met various regional leaders, including Vladimir Putin, at the summit. Photo: Xinhua

Central Asia

Xi and Putin meet in Kazakhstan

4 Jul 2024 - 6:01PM

02:25

Central Asia

Xi Jinping holds talks with Vladimir Putin on SCO sidelines in Kazakhstan

In meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Xi backs Astana’s membership in Brics bloc.

4 Jul 2024 - 3:16PMvideocam

Xi Jinping

China’s Xi hails ‘unique’ ties upon arrival in Kazakhstan for state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Astana for state visit and annual SCO summit alongside Russia’s Vladimir Putin, before heading to Tajikistan.

2 Jul 2024 - 9:43PMvideocam

Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | How the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor can help revive Asia-Europe trade

As disruptions send shipping costs surging and trade volumes slow, the overland Trans-Caspian International Transport Route offers a cheaper, more sustainable option through Kazakhstan.

5 Jun 2024 - 8:30PM

A China-Europe freight train leaves for Kazakhstan from Xian port in northwest China’s Shaanxi province on July 29, 2022. Photo: Xinhua

Diplomacy

Opinion | China and South Asia must solve regional tensions to fight terrorism

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s efforts against terrorism will not work unless diverging security interests among member states are addressed. India and Afghanistan’s alleged support of attacks in Pakistan and border clashes are holding back economic integration and security cooperation.

30 May 2024 - 5:53AMvideocam

China-Russia relations

Chinese President Xi and Russia’s Putin to meet again in July: foreign minister

Beijing and Moscow should ‘maintain security and stability in the common Chinese-Russian neighbourhood’, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says

21 May 2024 - 5:49PMvideocam

Central Asia

Opinion | How China’s greener investments are driving Central Asia energy shift

The growing cooperation between China and Central Asia on green energy fits Beijing’s agenda of making more sustainable Belt and Road Initiative investments. Central Asian states, particularly Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, have embraced the opportunity to improve their energy security and gain distance from Russia.

12 May 2024 - 5:30AMvideocam

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