Category: Central Asia
Kazakhstan Says China’s Xi to Visit for Central Asian Summit
Kazakhstan announced on Wednesday that China's President Xi Jinping would visit the country next week for a summit alongside former Soviet Central Asian partners. Xi is expected to arrive in Astana on June 16 for bilateral meetings before the Central Asia-China ...
Chinese Students Are Flocking to Central Asia for Master’s and PhD Degrees
In September 2024, Peng Ran, a former employee at a state-owned enterprise in China’s Shandong province, embarked on a three-day journey by train, bus, and multiple border checks to reach Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. His destination? A PhD program at Kazakhstan National University(KazNU).
India to Work with Central Asian Countries on Rare Earths
India has reportedly reached a collaboration agreement with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan for the exploration and development of rare earth minerals. The agreement, which was finalized at the recent India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi, follows recent reports that ...
Electric Ambitions: China’s Strategic Focus on Türkiye’s Green Mobility Industry
As global tensions rise over Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), a seismic shift is underway. With the European Union and the United States tightening their stance and slapping tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, China is responding with a bold new strategy: reshoring its industrial muscle to the Global South. ...
Silk Road Redux: China’s Strategic Leap into the South Caucasus
Less than a year after signing a strategic partnership with Azerbaijan in 2024, China and Azerbaijan elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Azerbaijani president’s recent state visit to Beijing. The move goes far beyond simple ceremonial diplomacy—it's a deliberate reinforcement of China's ...
Kazakhstan to Dredge Port for Key China-EU Trade Route
Kazakhstan will start dredging part of the Caspian Sea around its main port to increase capacity for a crucial transport route linking Asia and Europe, a spokesperson told AFP on Monday. The Trans-Caspian trade route, also known as the "Middle Corridor", ...
Kazakhstan to Dredge Port for Key China-EU Trade Route
Kazakhstan will start dredging part of the Caspian Sea around its main port to increase capacity for a crucial transport route linking Asia and Europe, a spokesperson told AFP on Monday. The Trans-Caspian trade route, also known as the "Middle Corridor", ...
China’s May Day Tourists Flock to an Unlikely New Hotspot: Central Asia
Over the recent Labor Day holiday on May 1st, an unexpected destination emerged as a top choice for Chinese tourists venturing overseas: Central Asia. While Southeast Asia once dominated the list of overseas travel favorites, recent high-profile cases involving telecom fraud ...
China’s Eurasian Detour: Bypassing Russia, Dodging U.S. Sea Power
A once-overlooked trade route across the Eurasian landmass is now a key strategic priority for China in this new era of global uncertainty. The Middle Corridor—a multimodal network stretching from China’s western border through Kazakhstan, across the Caspian Sea, and into Europe via Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye—has ...
China’s Eurasian Detour: Bypassing Russia, Dodging U.S. Sea Power
A once-overlooked trade route across the Eurasian landmass is now a key strategic priority for China in this new era of global uncertainty. The Middle Corridor—a multimodal network stretching from China’s western border through Kazakhstan, across the Caspian Sea, and into Europe via Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye—has ...
The New Great Game: China and the West Vie for Influence in Central Asia
Central Asia is one of those regions that isn't getting a lot of attention these days, as it's not a major player in the escalating U.S.-China trade war. But that may soon change as both major powers look to the region ...
Central Asia’s Mineral Magnet: Why China Is Doubling Down on Uzbekistan
As global competition for critical minerals heats up, Central Asia has become a strategic battleground, rich in resources and increasingly central to the ambitions of both regional and global powers. Within this context, China—already deeply engaged in the region's energy and infrastructure sectors—has adopted a more proactive ...