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Central Asia
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Central Asia

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Central Asia
Central Asia
News from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (right) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi during the Brics meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
India

Iran’s ‘anti-American’ rhetoric tests India’s balancing act at Brics meeting

Foreign Minister Araghchi seeks the bloc’s backing against US pressure in New Delhi, but India likely to prioritise de-escalation and trade.

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China trade

Pakistan to tap China debt market with first sale of yuan-priced ‘panda bonds’

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Pakistan

Pakistani Taliban splinter group claims suicide attack, 14 police dead

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Hong Kong economy

Editorial | GDP uptick signals Hong Kong’s economy is on the right path

The city is betting on diversification – fully integrating with the mainland economy while expanding trade and business ties with others.

A Star Ferry crosses Victoria Harbour in front of the Hong Kong skyline. The city posted its fastest quarterly economic growth in nearly five years. Photo: Reuters
Science

Will Iran war threaten next harvest? Which countries are most at risk?

As the Hormuz blockade cuts off vital agricultural inputs, Food and Agriculture Organization official views China as key food security partner.

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Diplomacy

An Asian alternative to Nato? How Cica is rethinking Middle East security

Chief of lesser-known security forum says it provides ‘architecture for de-escalation’ and allows members to project soft power.

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China trade

How this Chinese city is netting profits amid 2026 World Cup fever

Yiwu, the world’s capital of small goods, tackles global market for football-related merchandise as buzz builds ahead of major tournament.

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A foreign buyer checks footballs at a store in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
Hong Kong economy

Uzbek PM Abdulla Aripov to join ‘milestone’ 200-member delegation in Hong Kong

Prime minister to meet city leader John Lee on Wednesday and join Uzbek officials and business leaders already exploring opportunities.

Banking & finance

Kazakhstan’s AIFC discussing stock-trading links with Shanghai, Hong Kong

Cross-border trading connections could start with ETFs, says special economic zone’s governor.

Middle East

‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE lead a push for a new trade architecture with multiple nodes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

The port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on April 17. Photo: EPA/The UAE Presidential Court
Diplomacy

The big shift in Xi Jinping’s travel plans and what it means for China

Data analysis by the SCMP reveals a changing dynamic in Beijing towards high-level diplomatic meetings.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China-EU relations

Opinion | Middle East shipping crisis elevates China-Europe railway’s profile

Geopolitical strife has taken the China-Europe railway from an alternative to an essential part of continental connectivity.

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China travel

Chinese travellers flock to Central Asia as flight bookings soar by 120%

Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative behind stronger economic ties and passenger traffic growth between the two regions, say industry experts.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt: the Middle East’s new power brokers?

‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.

(From left) Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Turkey meet to discuss regional de-escalation in Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 29. Photo: Turkish Foreign Ministry/Reuters
Belt and Road Initiative

As US-Iran war chokes Hormuz, can ‘Middle Corridor’ rise to the rescue?

Logistics route via Central Asia, South Caucasus, Caspian Sea and Turkey said to be ‘experiencing massive operational momentum’.

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With global medical supply chains proving fragile, the Middle Corridor is being held up as a potential vital route for rapid humanitarian aid. Photo: Future Publishing via Getty Images
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong minister urges long-term view, says Middle East investment unaffected

Minister Algernon Yau urges businesses to avoid short-term thinking, says Hong Kong entrepreneurs are discerning in assessing opportunities.

Banking & finance

Kazakh sovereign fund issues Central Asia’s first panda bond in ‘milestone’ sale

Samruk-Kazyna chairman says issuance marks ‘an important milestone in strengthening the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and China’.

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China energy security

China turns to central Asia as US blockade in Hormuz chokes global energy flows

Chinese vice-premier to visit major gas field in Turkmenistan as Beijing aims to shore up energy security and diversify away from volatile maritime routes.

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In this 2013 image, President Xi Jinping stands alongside a model of the purification plant in Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field during an opening ceremony. Photo: Getty Images
Science

Open Questions | What an ancient Chinese map reveals about global history: Sheng-Wei Wang

Kunyu Wanguo Quantu and maritime artefacts prove China explored the world earlier than Eurocentric accounts suggest, scholar argues.

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Kazakhstan

Opinion | Why China is looking to Central Asia as Middle East grows riskier

The region’s strategic value as a corridor of resilience is becoming harder to ignore.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Trump faces a dilemma in the aftermath of failed US-Iran peace talks: analysts

The two countries are still far apart on the big issues, with American midterms looming and no quick way out.

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Iran and the United States failed on the weekend to reach an agreement to end the war in the Middle East. Photo: AFP
Xinjiang

Why has China mapped out a third new county in Xinjiang on its western frontier?

Cenling county, near Pakistan and Afghan borders and disputed frontier with India, follows Hean and Hekang as Beijing boosts security.

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A visitor takes a photo at a China-Pakistan border crossing checkpost, high in the Karakoram Range in Xinjiang. Photo: EPA
Afghanistan

Afghan mother demands answers after son dies in Pakistani hospital bombing

Human rights groups have called for an independent investigation into the March 16 strike on a drug treatment centre that killed 411.

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Afghanistan

Afghanistan wants US$10 billion in trade deals with Central Asia

Central Asia’s typical trade routes through Russia are hampered by heavy sanctions, while the Taliban is trying to trade with the world despite international sanctions.

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why India is quietly deepening its engagement with the Taliban

New Delhi’s courtship of Kabul is powered by realpolitik as the imperatives of security, strategy and connectivity converge.

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Afghan refugees recently returned from Pakistan and Iran receive rations donated by the Indian government, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 18, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war and rogue drones force European aviation safety rethink

As the Middle East conflict clogs flight corridors between Asia and Europe, EASA chief warns of ‘hybrid warfare’ risks.

A Boeing 747 plane takes off from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates earlier this month. Photo: EPA
Art

9 artists to look out for at this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong

From Kazakh warrior sculptures to speculative films by Andrew Thomas Huang and Ayoung Kim, these are the artworks defining this year’s programme.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong firms face profit squeeze as US importers cut orders amid oil crisis

City’s business leaders also say government should bolster ties with Central Asia and Asean nations to diversify market risks.

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