China’s Shadow Looms Over Trump’s Summit With Central Asian Leaders

U.S. President Donald Trump will host all five Central Asian leaders in Washington on Thursday, marking the first time they have been gathered together. This comes just a few months after they held separate summits with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China-Central Asia Weekly News: Multi-Sector Integration and Strategic Depth

This is a free preview of the upcoming Critical Minerals Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in 2026. China's engagement with Central Asia is shifting toward a more comprehensive economic integration model that combines traditional infrastructure development ...

China Deepens Mining Ties in Tajikistan to Secure Critical Minerals

By Bruno Kalouaz In a labyrinth of tunnels running beneath 4,000-meter peaks, Tajik miners are scrabbling to secure antimony, one of the metals at the centre of a worldwide race for rare minerals. The silver ...

Beijing’s Golden Gambit: China’s Strategic Push into Central Asian Gold Markets

China’s footprint in Central Asia’s mineral wealth is deepening, with gold emerging as a strategic priority alongside critical minerals. While Beijing’s investments in copper, lithium, and rare earths are widely viewed as essential to sustaining its industrial base, its push ...

China-Central Asia Weekly News: Building Skills and Local Capacity

This is a free preview of the upcoming China-Central Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in 2026. China's engagement with Central Asia is entering a new phase that extends far beyond the traditional Belt and ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Pain of Un-Polarity

“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”
This post by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may end up leaving a more lasting mark than the actual summit he attended.

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China–Central Asia Weekly Digest: Vocational Training, Cultural Centers & Governance Programs

This is a free preview of the upcoming China-Central Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in late 2025. This week’s developments highlight how China is deepening its engagement with Central Asian societies through education, culture, and ...

China-Central Asia Weekly Digest: China Brings E-Commerce, EVs & Health Closer to Consumers

This is a free preview of the upcoming China-Central Asia Weekly Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in late 2025. This week's developments demonstrate China's expansion into consumer-facing sectors across Central Asia, moving beyond infrastructure projects into direct ...

How Beijing is Deepening Stakes in Kazakhstan’s Energy Value Chain

China’s growing presence in Kazakhstan’s energy sector marks a strategic evolution that extends far beyond traditional resource extraction. While Beijing has long focused on upstream oil and gas operations to secure energy supplies, recent agreements—particularly those emerging from the Second China–Central Asia Summit—point to a more comprehensive ...

China-Central Asia Weekly Digest

This is a free preview of the upcoming Central Asia Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in Summer 2025. This week's developments highlight the intersection of China's digital technology capabilities with Central Asia's urgent modernization requirements across financial ...

China-Central Asia Weekly Digest

This is a free preview of the upcoming Central Asia Digest, part of the new CGSP Intelligence service launching in Summer 2025. This week's developments reveal Beijing's strategy to relocate manufacturing capacity while establishing itself as the region's primary technology provider ...

Moving Beyond Infrastructure: Key Outcomes from the Second China-Central Asia Summit

Amid intensifying geopolitical turbulence across China's periphery—from the Israel-Iran conflict in the Middle East, to India-Pakistan tensions in South Asia, and the protracted Russia-Ukraine war in Eastern Europe—Beijing's neighborhood diplomacy has become an imperative for safeguarding regional stability.  In this shifting ...

China Elevates Ties with Central Asia Amid Growing Security Concerns

Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a treaty on Tuesday to upgrade ties with five Central Asian countries. China is increasingly deepening ties with the region amid growing conflict in West Asia. Xi said the new Treaty of Permanent Good-Neighbourliness and ...
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