Central Asia

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an online summit of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization from the Kremlin on July 4.
International relations

Putin claims unity, Xi slams decoupling at India-hosted SCO talks

Online meeting comes days after Wagner uprising shook Moscow and the region

4 July 2023
The IAEA, on July 4, is expected to present a final report on the safety of Japan's planned release of treated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean from the The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. 
Your Week in Asia

Thai parliament convenes, IAEA Fukushima report, Huawei developer conference

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

2 July 2023
Participants celebrate a spring equinox festival in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The country is seeking to attract businesses leaving Russia. 
Ukraine war

Kazakhstan woos over 400 Western firms exiting Russia

Exodus by businesses lifts Central Asian economy

27 June 2023
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, right, met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Russia's Victory Day in May. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

Kazakhstan's backdoor trade with Russia must be stopped

Time for sanctions over funneling of restricted goods to support war in Ukraine

15 June 2023
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban inspect the scene of an operation against Islamic State militants at a hideout on the outskirts of Kabul in November 2021.
Terrorism

Afghanistan-based extremists spark terror fears in Central Asia

Islamic State's branch beefing up propaganda to recruit Uzbek, Tajik fighters

10 June 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and leaders from five Central Asian nations at the China-Central Asia Summit in Xian on May 19.
International relations

China's Xi pledges billions in loans to Central Asian nations

Beijing aiming to fill void left by Russia in former Soviet republics

19 May 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met ahead of a China-Central Asia summit on Wednesday.
International relations

China to convene Central Asian leaders to counter G-7 summit

Xi aims to bolster ties on security, Belt and Road projects

18 May 2023
A freight train near Almaty: New initiatives in Central Asia are deepening economic cooperation.
Opinion

Better connectivity will unlock Central Asia's economic potential

Integration can return region to role as intercontinental trade hub

15 May 2023
According to government figures, 90.2% of participants in the April 30 referendum voted in favor of revising the constitution.
Opinion

Uzbekistan's improved constitutional rights are meaningless

Law already guaranteed freedoms, no reason to expect implementation

8 May 2023
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev votes in Tashkent on April 30. The passage of constitutional reforms could allow him to stay in power until 2040.
Politics

Uzbekistan votes 'yes' to new constitution in victory for president

Mirziyoyev wins more time as critics question promises of more power to the people

1 May 2023
Uzbeks cast ballots in Tashkent during the country's 2021 presidential election.
Opinion

Uzbekistan's revised constitution can support democratic transition

Citizens have come to expect protection of rights and freedoms

29 April 2023
From left: Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attend the SCO meeting in New Delhi on April 28.
International relations

India sends Pakistan a message, Russia slams West at SCO meeting

Moscow's defense minister urges 8-member bloc to tighten military ties

28 April 2023
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces a close re-election race after two decades in office.
Turkey elections

Turkey's Erdogan touts accomplishments ahead of tight election

Pro-Western rival Kilicdaroglu holds narrow lead in poll

15 April 2023
A voter casts her ballot during Kazakhstan's parliamentary election on March 19.
Politics

Kazakhstan's new parliament has old look after reset falls short

Election marred by uneven playing field, apathy and allegations of irregularities

25 March 2023
A man rides a horse past an election campaign board in Almaty, Kazakhstan on March 15.
Politics

Kazakhstan election offers rare opening for independent voices

Post-unrest reforms add meaning to Sunday's vote despite democratic shortcomings

18 March 2023
Japan seeks to expand trade with Uzbekistan, a Central Asian country with strong ties with China and Russia. 
Telecommunication

Uzbek telecom to receive $150m loan from Japanese lenders

JBIC and MUFG to finance development of communications network

27 January 2023
Police officers are seen outside a Marion Biotech office in Noida, India, on Dec. 29. Uzbekistan says 18 children died after consuming the company's cough syrup.
Pharmaceuticals

India probes cough syrup linked to Uzbekistan child deaths

Allegations echo Gambia scandal, casting new doubts on 'pharmacy of the world'

29 December 2022
Vladimir Putin met with other presidents at the Central Asia-Russia summit in Astana on Oct. 14: Central Asia will continue to find Moscow a complicated partner.
Opinion

2023 outlook: Central Asia is not out of the woods yet

Spillover effects from Ukraine and Afghanistan, so far limited, still pose risk

29 December 2022
Money machines: Bitcoin mines are banks of computers dedicated to guessing a 64-digit number in order to win cryptocurrency. Here, ASICs -- specialized bitcoin mining computers -- have been stacked up in the corridors of a mine in Ekibastuz. (Photo by Peter Guest)
The Big Story

Kazakhstan's love of bitcoin undimmed by 'crypto winter'

With 'fully legal' cryptocurrencies, the country hopes to compete in the big leagues of global finance

21 December 2022
Leaders gather in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Nov. 11 for the 9th Heads of States Summit of Organization of Turkic States.
International relations

Turkic world sees 'risks and opportunities' as Russia stumbles

Turkey, EU, China seek to make inroads into Central Asia and the Caucasus

30 November 2022
Central banks appear to be snapping up gold, but the identity of some of the biggest buyers is not clear.
Commodities

China thought to be stockpiling gold to cut greenback dependence

Buying of metal is at its fastest pace since the 1960s

22 November 2022
Kazakhstani election officials count ballots in Almaty on Nov. 20. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won the snap vote by a landslide.
Politics

Kazakhstan seen tilting to China after president's landslide win

Tokayev shifts country away from predecessor Nazarbayev and Moscow

22 November 2022
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev casts his ballot at a polling station in Astana on Nov. 20: The substance of the reforms is designed to dismantle the previous super-presidential system. (Handout photo from President Press Office)
Opinion

Kazakhstan is committed to political reform

Protests have spurred government to remove privileges and increase inclusion

21 November 2022
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is seeking a new mandate as he strives to distance himself from his one-time mentor, former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Politics

'New Kazakhstan' set for election expected to be one-man show

Tokayev seeks stamp of legitimacy as experts warn 'protest mood' persists

19 November 2022
The symbiotic relationships between Central Asia's leaders and Vladimir Putin are rearranging themselves as the war in Ukraine weakens Russia.
Asia Insight

Central Asia looks beyond Russia's orbit to secure its future

Jittery over Ukraine war, Kazakhstan and neighbors seek alternative export routes

15 November 2022