Central Asia

19 September 2024
Women bake lavash flatbread the traditional way at the Tsaghkunk Restaurant and Glkhatun in the Armenian village of Tsaghkunk. (All photos by Veidehi Gite)
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, right, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attend an official welcoming ceremony in the Kazakh capital of Astana on Sept. 16
Trade

Germany's Scholz visits Kazakhstan to boost trade in rare earths, oil

But chancellor says deals must not circumvent EU sanctions on Russia

16 September 2024
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled his trip to Central Asia. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu)
International relations

Japan PM cancels Central Asia and Mongolia trip over megaquake advisory

Nation's weather agency made warning after magnitude-7.1 quake on Thursday

9 August 2024
A wind farm operates in Kazakhstan. Clean energy is a major part of Japan's planned business deals in Central Asia.
International relations

Japan to offer $2bn in trade support for Central Asia projects

Green and digital technology among areas of 200-plus deals due out at summit

6 August 2024
Eurus Energy Holdings, wholly owned by Toyota Tsusho, plans to develop and operate a wind farm in Uzbekistan, much like this one in Hokkaido, Japan. (Eurus Energy)
Energy

Uzbekistan wind farms planned by Japan's Toyota Tsusho, Sojitz

Russia and China vie for Central Asia power projects, stoking competition

4 August 2024
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet in August with leaders from five Central Asian countries in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
International relations

Japan builds ties in Russia's backyard with Central Asia summit

Tokyo to offer support for decarbonization and logistics in resource-rich region

1 August 2024
A train runs near the Chinese border in Kazakhstan. Much of the railway in Central Asia's Middle Corridor has aging infrastructure.
Transportation

Central Asian railway to offer new link between China, Europe

New rail network would bypass problematic routes through Russia and Red Sea

10 July 2024
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, second left, hosts the leaders of China, Russia, Tajikistan and Belarus at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana on July 4.
Opinion

Kazakhstan leverages middle power status with West, China, Russia

Europe, U.S. need to enhance engagement with Astana

8 July 2024
Uyghur women protest in front of policemen in Urumqi on July 7, 2009. The unrest, which started two days earlier, prompted a harsh crackdown and led to much stricter governance in the Xinjiang region.
Politics

15 years after Xinjiang unrest, China fends off criticism of hardline rule

Beijing cements support from like-minded states, cushioning West's condemnation

5 July 2024
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- including China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and the Kazakh host Kassym-Jomart Tokayev -- pose for a group photo in Astana on July 4.
International relations

China and Russia's security bloc tightens bonds as it expands

Belarus the latest to join SCO as group aims to counterbalance the West

5 July 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3. (Sputnik/Pool photo via Reuters)
International relations

Xi Jinping meets Russia's Putin, backs Kazakhstan joining BRICS

Chinese president in Astana for regional SCO summit as tensions with West simmer

3 July 2024
Electric vehicle maker BYD is opening a new factory in Thailand as Chinese EV producers face the prospect of stiff EU tariffs.
Your Week in Asia

Tokyo picks next governor, Shanghai AI conference, BYD opens Thai factory

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

30 June 2024
Komatsu expects demand for mining equipment to grow in Central Asia as more businesses turn to the region's mineral reserves. (Komatsu)
Materials

Komatsu opens Central Asia hub to tap mining rush for EV metals

Region's reserves of lithium and more draw attention as China curbs exports

20 June 2024
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, left, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol inspect an honor guard during a welcome ceremony in Astana on June 12. Yoon is on a three-nation visit to Central Asia.
International relations

South Korea's Yoon seeks deals in Central Asian resource push

Visit to Kazakhstan and other countries aimed at mineral access, less reliance on China

13 June 2024
Registan Square in Samarkand. Uzbekistan is positioned to be a transport hub of the Eurasian continent. (Photo by Akira Takemura)
International relations

Uzbekistan's tech ambitions draw corporate Japan's interest

Tashkent looks to leverage Japanese e-learning to educate and employ youth

26 May 2024
COP29 chief negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev speaks to Nikkei Asia in Tokyo on May 22. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Climate Change

COP29 host urges funding and transparency for 1.5-degree target

Azerbaijan's chief negotiator says 'false perception of risks' hinders investments

22 May 2024
Former Kazakh Economy Minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev during a court hearing in Astana on May 13, when he was found guilty of murdering his common-law wife and sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Crime

Murder trial of Kazakh ex-minister leads to reforms on domestic violence

Kuandyk Bishimbayev sentenced to 24 years in prison for torturing, killing his partner

14 May 2024
"Not enough time, not enough support": Uzbekistan, a landlocked country slightly bigger than California, is facing the consequences of a history of poor irrigation, with rising salinity slashing the size of usable growing areas.
Asia Insight

Uzbek farmers battle to save cotton, wheat crops from mortal enemy: salt

Growing salinization crisis bites as cotton exports to Bangladesh skid 80% in 5 years

7 May 2024
Women at work at the Khiva Silk Carpet Workshop in Khiva, Uzbekistan. The facility opened in 2001 with backing from sources including UNESCO. (All photos by Charukesi Ramadurai)
Arts

Uzbekistan's traditional carpets make a comeback

British adventurer helps to revive skills lost during communist rule

5 May 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of five Central Asian countries who are increasingly worried that if Russia defeats Ukraine, it will start interfering in their internal affairs. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Comment

The ghost of Soviet Union returns to haunt Central Asia, Caucasus

Fear of Russian political meddling grows as its troops regain footing in Ukraine

14 April 2024
A worker helps operate a gas field in Uzbekistan in June 2023. Methanol obtained from natural gas can be used to churn out raw materials for products ranging from plastics to films.
Economy

Uzbekistan chases chemical hub dream with Chinese polymer tech

Nation aims to export value-added products made from its natural gas

13 April 2024
A Russian law enforcement officer near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following the attack on March 22.
Terrorism

Moscow attack reveals ISIS-K's widening strategy of deadly disruption

Afghanistan IS-offshoot blamed for Russia's deadliest terror attack in two decades

26 March 2024
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan, Russia, on Feb. 21. Kyrgyzstan's parliament recently passed a law on "foreign agents" similar to legislation Moscow imposed over a decade ago. (Sputnik via Reuters)
Politics

Kyrgyzstan takes page from Russia in pushing 'foreign agents' law

Critics urge President Japarov not to sign bill that would squeeze NGOs and media

22 March 2024
A production of "Tin Soldier" for children. (Photo by Yuriy Korotetskiy)
Arts

Russian war refugees boost Kazakhstan's theater scene

New plays bring diversity and cater to all ages in different languages

16 March 2024
A four-lane toll road linking the Azerbaijani capital of Baku with the Russian border opened in October. (Photo by Nikkei)
International relations

Russia-India trade route through Central Asia moves forward

Azerbaijan's role in shipping corridor turns into military advantage

12 March 2024