Kazakhstan

Hong Kong’s Central Asia pivot aims to boost belt and road role, analysts say

21 May 2026 - 3:14PM

Exclusive | Kazakhstan to deepen financial services cooperation with Hong Kong, consul says

20 May 2026 - 4:23PM

Editorial | Central Asia trip will open new horizons of prosperity for Hong Kong

After years of promoting the city in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, it is sensible for city leaders to look to Central Asia.

20 May 2026 - 6:45AM

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov attend the Uzbekistan-China (Hong Kong) Business Forum on May 6. Photo: Karma Lo

John Lee to visit Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, taking largest-ever delegation overseas

Chief executive will lead a group of more than 60 businesspeople from Hong Kong and mainland China to Central Asian countries.

19 May 2026 - 9:46PM

My Life

Meet Anchalika Kijkanakorn, the Thai hotelier redefining luxury resorts through wellness and meaningful travel

The founder of Thailand’s Akaryn Hotel Group on the joys of solo travel and being ahead of the sustainability curve as a pioneer of boutique hospitality.

18 May 2026 - 8:00AM

US-China relations

Is China set to benefit from new US Fed chair Kevin Warsh’s policy vision?

The appointment follows White House pressure on the central bank to lower interest rates – a move analysts warn could have unintended consequences.

14 May 2026 - 11:00PMvideocam

Kevin Warsh, the incoming chair of the US Federal Reserve, testifies before a Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 21. Photo: Reuters

China trade

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

Islamabad turns to ‘panda bonds’ to secure cheaper credit and diversify its borrowing into yuan-denominated funding, with a focus on sustainable development.

12 May 2026 - 10:00AMvideocam

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.

9 May 2026 - 6:45AM

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.

6 May 2026 - 10:00AM

Cica Secretary General Kairat Sarybay speaks to the SCMP on the sidelines of the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on April 23, 2026. Photo: Handout

Middle East

Letters | UAE’s Opec exit reflects a complex world

Readers discuss the UAE’s decision to leave the oil cartel, and a Vietnamese leader’s choice to travel twice on China’s high-speed trains.

4 May 2026 - 11:30AM

A commercial vessel is seen off the coast of Dubai on April 20. Photo: AFP

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.

4 May 2026 - 9:00AM

Why UAE’s exit from Opec is good news for oil-thirsty Asia

Once free of Opec’s production caps, the world’s sixth-largest oil producer plans to flood the market with 5 million barrels a day.

29 Apr 2026 - 11:23AMvideocam

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

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

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.

25 Apr 2026 - 1:30PM

(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

Science

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

On the sidelines of a Central Asia summit in Astana, UNEP’s Inger Andersen says China has always been active in multilateralism.

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

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

An employee counts 100-yuan notes at a bank in Beijing on November 14, 2024. Photo: AFP

‘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

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

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

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

An oil and gas industry worker operates a drilling rig at the Zhetybay field in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region, on November 13, 2023. Photo: Reuters

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

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

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

Israel’s Karish natural gas field in the east Mediterranean. Photo: Reuters

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

The Deer of Nine Colors by Andrew Thomas Huang. Photo: Handout