Economy

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, at the Presidential Palace in Astana in June 2017
International relations

Linking China to the EU's 'gateway' for exporters

Kazakhstan seeks to become part of China's supply chain, while Poland seeks infrastructure funding

28 March 2018
Thailand hopes more trade with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union will contribute to the growth of its Eastern Economic corridor. (Getty Images)
26 February 2018
A boy sells umbrellas printed with Pakistan's flag at a market in Karachi last July. Safety in the city has improved dramatically.
Economy

Pakistan keeps terrorists on the run and the economy on a roll

Sweeping security push helps improve growth and business sentiment

1 February 2018
A boy sells umbrellas printed with Pakistan's flag at a market in Karachi last July. Safety in the city has improved dramatically.
Economy

Pakistan keeps terrorists on the run and economy on a roll

Businesses' focus shifts from bombs and kidnappings to taxes and policy

19 January 2018
The Bank of Korea has joined the U.S. Federal Reserve in reversing the unconventional easy-credit policy once led by the Fed and other central banks.
Looking ahead 2018

QE unwinding is more dangerous than it appears

Asia's emerging markets remain dependent on central bank liquidity

26 December 2017
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at a joint media appearance in Tehran in May 2016 (Photo by India's Press Information Bureau)
Opinion

India reaches out to Asia's heartlands

Iranian port project could herald start of a challenge to China's expanding geostrategic links

5 December 2017
Talk of abolishing large-denomination bank notes largely centers on preventing criminals from hoarding cash.
Economy

The case for getting rid of high-denomination bank notes

Softer cashless route would hinder criminals, crack interest rate constraints

4 December 2017
A Mongolian performer, right, takes a selfie with her smartphone before a shortened version of a Naadam festival, a traditional Mongolian cultural and sporting event in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Business

Japanese telecom KDDI enjoys growth in crisis-battered Mongolia

Country's young population shrugs off IMF bailout and snaps up smartphones

29 November 2017
A worker shovels wheat in Kazakhstan's Akmola region. The country aims to develop its agriculture with China.
Asia Insight

China's Belt and Road sparks battle of the breadbaskets

New infrastructure helps ex-Soviet grain exporters reach Asian markets

28 November 2017
Teachers on strike at a school in Ulaanbaatar: The sign reads "Salary equal to our work." (Photo by Ochir Khaidui)
Economy

Mongolian teachers strike puts government in a bind

Constrained by IMF bailout, cabinet resists call for nearly 150% pay hike

14 November 2017
Pierre Heilbronn, vice president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Economy

European development bank eager to further cooperate with AIIB

Additional syndicated loans to focus on Central Asia and Transcaucasia

14 November 2017
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev,far right, joins Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, next in front row, at the opening ceremony for the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in Baku on Oct. 30.
Economy

'Iron silk road' threatens to sidetrack Russia

Trilateral rail project offers southern route for China's Belt and Road initiative

31 October 2017
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, left, celebrates with top executives of Chinese, South Korean and Russian electric utilities with which the Japanese conglomerate has teamed up for its mammoth power grid project.
Economy

Asia Super Grid: SoftBank's latest dream stretches over 6 countries

Multinational power transmission project begins in Mongolia

13 October 2017
Stream article image
12 October 2017
Central banks, particularly those vulnerable to currency volatility or economic pressure from the U.S., have been heavy buyers of gold in recent years.
Currencies

Central banks hedging against geopolitical risk with gold

Large stashes are a handy weapon against currency jitters and US pressure

11 October 2017
Business and consumer confidence has improved in many countries, but investment demand is still lagging.
Economy

Economic breathing space is an opportunity to strengthen resilience

Tougher reforms needed to kick growth into higher gear

8 October 2017
China's better than expected economic expansion will buoy Asia's growth in 2017.
Economy

Global trade, China will buoy Asia's growth to 5.8% in 2018

ADB says latest outlook for the region is 'heartening'

26 September 2017
The shiny and expensive architecture of downtown Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, is part of the legacy of autocratic President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Economy

Kazakh pension scandals stir criticism of government

Corruption allegations undermine Astana's modernizing self-image

21 September 2017
Until now, Uzbeks preferred not to change money at banks because of unattractive official exchange rates. (Photo by Ikrom Nosirov)
Economy

Drastic Uzbek devaluation whets appetite for wider reform

Observers hopeful move may signal growing confidence of new president

14 September 2017
The Rogun hydroelectric power station, being built 120km east of Dushanbe at the site shown here in 2006, is to feature the highest dam in the world.
Economy

Successful Tajikistan bond debut could encourage neighbors

Central Asian state raises $500 million for controversial dam

11 September 2017
Batchuluun has earned a comfortable living from his herd of over 1,000 cashmere-producing goats in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. (Photo by Tim Ferry)
Economy

Pasture degradation threatens Mongolia's cashmere industry

Sustainable goat farming campaign struggles amid creeping desertification

7 September 2017
Batchuluun has earned a comfortable living from his herd of over 1,000 cashmere-producing goats in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. (Photo by Tim Ferry)
Economy

Mongolian pasture degradation threatens cashmere industry

Sustainable goat farming campaign struggles amid desertification

5 August 2017
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reopened direct train services from Tashkent’s central station, above, to Almaty in March. (Photo by Naubet Bisenov)
Economy

Uzbekistan opens door to Central Asian integration

End of isolationism eases regional transport issues, but obstacles remain

3 August 2017
A MIAT Mongolian Airlines Boeing 737 lands at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
Opinion

Mongolia must open up to avoid aviation embarrassment

New showcase international airport will go to waste without competition

18 June 2017
A car drives along a road in the Altyn-Emel national park in Almaty region, Kazakhstan.
Economy

Infrastructure boom offers fresh start on Asian road safety

Human and economic toll 'staggering' in low and middle-income countries

17 June 2017