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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

Ground staf and crew members for the inaugural flight of China Eastern Airlines from Shanghai to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, pose for a group photo. A new direct passenger air route connecting the eastern Chinese city of Shanghai and the Uzbek capital of Tashkent was launched in March. Photo: Xinhua

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.

26 Apr 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

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

25 Apr 2026 - 1:30PM

Science

‘Big shout-out’ to China’s environmental leadership from UN agency head

24 Apr 2026 - 4:36PMvideocam

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’.

23 Apr 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

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

Global monetary policy

Editorial | Chinese yuan slowly but surely cutting into US dollar dominance

Kazakhstan’s issuance of yuan-denominated debt shows developing nations can use ‘panda bonds’ as stepping stones into global capital markets.

20 Apr 2026 - 7:15AM

US, Israel war on Iran

‘Everybody’s suffering’: Kazakhstan seeks UN reforms amid fragile Iran truce

President Tokayev told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that multilateralism is being undermined as major decisions move outside the UN framework.

17 Apr 2026 - 7:49PMvideocam

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’.

14 Apr 2026 - 6:00PM

By the middle of last month, 78 billion yuan of panda bonds had been issued this year. Photo: Shutterstock

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.

14 Apr 2026 - 4:30PM

Central Asia

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.

12 Apr 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Ukraine proposes ceasefire on striking energy targets to Russia

Ukraine’s president says the proposal has been conveyed to Moscow through the US.

7 Apr 2026 - 11:40AM

A satellite near-infrared image shows smoke rising from Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga after a Ukrainian attack on March 27. Photo: Vantor via Reuters

Central Asia

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.

5 Apr 2026 - 9:26PM

Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (centre, back), along with representatives from Central Asian states, takes part in the Afghanistan-Central Asia Consultative Dialogue at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Kabul on Sunday. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

How Israel dodged Hormuz energy crisis while others reel from the blow

Israel’s Mediterranean gas fields shield it from energy shocks, yet wartime shutdowns and rising tariffs reveal hidden vulnerabilities.

1 Apr 2026 - 2:43PMvideocam

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.

25 Mar 2026 - 6:00AM

Central Asia

Beyond a ‘buffer zone’: how the Iran war is recalibrating Central Asian ties

The former Soviet republics are leveraging diplomatic fallout from conflict to assert autonomy and balance major powers, observers say.

15 Mar 2026 - 2:00PMvideocam

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has mobilised the army and recalled diplomats from Tehran following Iranian drone strikes that hit an airport in his country. Photo: AFP

Food and Drinks

Why horse meat and nomadic tea rituals anchor this new eatery in Central

For the Kazakh founders of Yurt, opening the new Central Asian restaurant was written in the stars.

10 Mar 2026 - 11:00AM

Yurt is championing Central Asian cuisine in Hong Kong. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

India

India’s 100GW nuclear push was missing one thing. Canada just provided it

India needs to triple its uranium supply to meet its nuclear targets. Canada, with mines already in the pipeline, is well placed to deliver.

3 Mar 2026 - 4:29PMvideocam

Central Asia

Trains through the Taliban: Central Asia’s plan to bypass Russia and Iran

The Soviet Union severed Central Asia’s ancient trade routes to the Indian subcontinent. The region’s modern-day leaders want them back.

2 Mar 2026 - 11:21AMvideocam

US-China relations

China has ‘massively expanded’ its nuclear arsenal, claims US State Department

Beijing’s UN ambassador Shen Jian said China opposes the smearing of its nuclear policy and ‘would not engage in any nuclear arms race’.

24 Feb 2026 - 4:48AM

China’s UN ambassador Shen Jian at the annual United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday. Photo: AFP

China-Russia relations

As Central Asia builds ‘smart cities’ with China, is it moving away from Russia?

Lack of Russian involvement in the mega-projects is seen as part of a broader structural shift as the region moves ‘closer to the world’.

11 Feb 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Climate change

Opinion | Why China and Europe should care about Central Asia’s water crisis

Central Asian rivers shape Eurasian trade flows, affect global food markets and contribute to geopolitical instability across the region.

3 Feb 2026 - 5:30AM

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

‘For the world’: Trump launches his Board of Peace that some see rivalling UN

The US president signed the board’s charter at a ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

22 Jan 2026 - 8:49PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump holding a signed founding charter with leaders and representatives from other countries. Photo: AFP

Belt and Road Initiative

US trade war? China had bigger plans in 2025 as ‘belt and road’ deals surged

China’s global infrastructure strategy logged a record US$213 billion of new deals in 2025, as metals projects in Central Asia soared, report finds.

19 Jan 2026 - 11:00PMvideocam

Security guards patrol a lithium project in Zimbabwe. China’s engagement in metals and mining projects surged last year, according to a report by the Griffith Asia Institute. Photo: EPA-EFE

Food and Drinks

First Look: Yurt, Hong Kong’s ‘first modern Central Asian restaurant’

The Kazakh founders of this SoHo restaurant eventually aim to expand it into a cultural hub, seeing an outpouring of support from the local Central Asian community.

8 Jan 2026 - 2:02PM

Ukraine war

Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war

For hubs of transit trade from Armenia to the UAE, economic self-interest is best served by having sanctions on Russia in place indefinitely.

23 Dec 2025 - 4:30PM

Food and Drinks

New restaurant Yurt brings Kazakhstan’s horsemeat tradition to Hong Kong

Horsemeat is a central part of Kazakh and Central Asian culture and, for the team at Yurt, there was no question of it not being on the menu.

23 Dec 2025 - 2:24PM

A variety of dishes at Yurt, including beshbarmak (top left). Photo: Yurt

Japan

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:41PMvideocam

Vendors sell traditional Uzbek clothing and jewellery inside a madrasah in Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan In September. Photo: EPA

China-Russia relations

Chinese firms gear up for Russia’s reopening amid talks aimed at peace deal

Many Chinese exporters expect the first wave of post-war demand in Russia to come from infrastructure.

7 Dec 2025 - 8:57PM

US-China relations

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

6 Dec 2025 - 6:51AMvideocam

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Kazakhstan

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.

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

‘Big shout-out’ to China’s environmental leadership from UN agency head

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’.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Editorial | Chinese yuan slowly but surely cutting into US dollar dominance

Kazakhstan’s issuance of yuan-denominated debt shows developing nations can use ‘panda bonds’ as stepping stones into global capital markets.

‘Everybody’s suffering’: Kazakhstan seeks UN reforms amid fragile Iran truce

President Tokayev told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that multilateralism is being undermined as major decisions move outside the UN framework.

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’.

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.

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.

Ukraine proposes ceasefire on striking energy targets to Russia

Ukraine’s president says the proposal has been conveyed to Moscow through the US.

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.

How Israel dodged Hormuz energy crisis while others reel from the blow

Israel’s Mediterranean gas fields shield it from energy shocks, yet wartime shutdowns and rising tariffs reveal hidden vulnerabilities.

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.

Beyond a ‘buffer zone’: how the Iran war is recalibrating Central Asian ties

The former Soviet republics are leveraging diplomatic fallout from conflict to assert autonomy and balance major powers, observers say.

Why horse meat and nomadic tea rituals anchor this new eatery in Central

For the Kazakh founders of Yurt, opening the new Central Asian restaurant was written in the stars.

India’s 100GW nuclear push was missing one thing. Canada just provided it

India needs to triple its uranium supply to meet its nuclear targets. Canada, with mines already in the pipeline, is well placed to deliver.

Trains through the Taliban: Central Asia’s plan to bypass Russia and Iran

The Soviet Union severed Central Asia’s ancient trade routes to the Indian subcontinent. The region’s modern-day leaders want them back.

China has ‘massively expanded’ its nuclear arsenal, claims US State Department

Beijing’s UN ambassador Shen Jian said China opposes the smearing of its nuclear policy and ‘would not engage in any nuclear arms race’.

As Central Asia builds ‘smart cities’ with China, is it moving away from Russia?

Lack of Russian involvement in the mega-projects is seen as part of a broader structural shift as the region moves ‘closer to the world’.

Opinion | Why China and Europe should care about Central Asia’s water crisis

Central Asian rivers shape Eurasian trade flows, affect global food markets and contribute to geopolitical instability across the region.

‘For the world’: Trump launches his Board of Peace that some see rivalling UN

The US president signed the board’s charter at a ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

US trade war? China had bigger plans in 2025 as ‘belt and road’ deals surged

China’s global infrastructure strategy logged a record US$213 billion of new deals in 2025, as metals projects in Central Asia soared, report finds.

First Look: Yurt, Hong Kong’s ‘first modern Central Asian restaurant’

The Kazakh founders of this SoHo restaurant eventually aim to expand it into a cultural hub, seeing an outpouring of support from the local Central Asian community.

Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war

For hubs of transit trade from Armenia to the UAE, economic self-interest is best served by having sanctions on Russia in place indefinitely.

New restaurant Yurt brings Kazakhstan’s horsemeat tradition to Hong Kong

Horsemeat is a central part of Kazakh and Central Asian culture and, for the team at Yurt, there was no question of it not being on the menu.

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

Chinese firms gear up for Russia’s reopening amid talks aimed at peace deal

Many Chinese exporters expect the first wave of post-war demand in Russia to come from infrastructure.

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

Editorial | Chinese yuan slowly but surely cutting into US dollar dominance