Central Asia

Russian citizens converge on a public service center in Almaty to receive individual identification numbers on Sept. 28. 
Ukraine war

Russians fleeing draft strain Kazakhstan's services, diplomacy

President Tokayev calls for 'humanity, patience' ahead of awkward Putin visit

6 October 2022
Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit participants in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 16: The group has very little impact on its members, let alone the world.
Opinion

SCO shows the limits of Chinese-style international organizations

Group silent even as members engage in deadly clashes during summit

28 September 2022
A report by Freedom House says the Chinese Communist Party "and its proxies are using more sophisticated and coercive tactics to shape media narratives and suppress critical reporting" -- accusations Beijing rejects.
Asia Insight

China builds global media muscle to amplify its message

Study shows how country with dismal press freedom record sways reporting abroad

20 September 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 15.
International relations

Putin concedes China has 'concerns' on Ukraine in Xi meeting

Beijing's account skips conflict, stresses support for 'respective core interests'

15 September 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping is welcomed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev upon his arrival in Nur-Sultan on Sept. 14.
International relations

Xi vows to back Kazakh 'sovereignty' in Central Asia power play

Chinese leader's first post-COVID trip abroad seen as move to cement top-dog status

14 September 2022
To prepare for hosting of this year's Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, history-drenched Samarkand -- Uzbekistan's second-largest city -- has undergone big changes.
Life

Ancient Samarkand gets a modern makeover

Silk Road city turns into building site ahead of Sino-Russian summit

14 September 2022
The meeting in Samarkand, a city on the ancient Silk Road, will mark the annual summit's first in-person meeting since 2019.
International relations

SCO summit to bring together Xi, Putin, Modi: 4 things to know

Shanghai Cooperation Organization looks to bolster global status

13 September 2022
Xi Jinping is set to attend as he makes his first international trip since the beginning of the COVID pandemic.
Opinion

China and Russia to showcase alternative world order at SCO Summit

Samarkand gathering demonstrates sanctioned states still have allies of substance

12 September 2022
Companies looking to transport goods between Europe and China face the political, ethical and commercial dilemma of using the Russian route, or sending them on a slower, more expensive trek across Central Asia.
Business Spotlight

Russia's war leaves Europe with China rail route dilemma

Exporters forced to choose between sanctions risks and lengthy delays

19 August 2022
The Taliban's foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in January: He attended a conference in Tashket this week, where he offered assurances about terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil.
International relations

ISIS-K threat to Uzbek railway dream opens doors for Taliban

Isolated Afghan rulers offer Central Asia assurances at conference

27 July 2022
A Kyrgyz policeman looks at a burnt armored personnel carrier outside the village of Kok-Tash near the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border in southwestern Kyrgyzstan in May 2021: Exchanges of fire continue to take place with casualties on both sides.
Opinion

The perils of ignoring Eurasian instability

Volatile region has historically caused problems for the rest of the world

9 July 2022
An Uzbek law enforcement officer guards a street in Nukus, the capital of the northwestern Karakalpakstan region, on July 3. Officials say 14 protesters and four officers were killed during recent unrest.
Politics

Unrest overshadows dream of IT-powered 'new Uzbekistan'

Net blackout, bans on Twitter, TikTok at odds with courtship of tech investors

7 July 2022
Simone Mantellini, from the University of Bologna, directs the Uzbek-Italian mission at Kafir Kala, an ancient fortress on the outskirts of Samarkand. Excavations began in the early 2000s. (All photos by Sara Perria)
Life

Uzbekistan races to save Silk Road legacy

In Samarkand, ancient sites have been lost to arable farming

1 July 2022
Afghan men search for survivors June 23 in the debris of a Paktika Province house destroyed by an earthquake.
Natural disasters

Afghanistan earthquake leaves homeless waiting for uncertain relief

Taliban say they are working around the clock but need more international aid

24 June 2022
Women in front of the Akorda, the official residence of Kazakhstan's president in Nur-Sultan: The government says the proposed constitutional reforms will water down presidential powers.
Politics

Kazakhstan set to vote on constitution reform in Putin-like process

Critics say proposed changes to 'super presidential' system are superficial

4 June 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on May 20: His invasion of Ukraine has complicated life for Russia's Central Asian partners.
International relations

Putin to seek support at Eurasian summit amid sanctions squeeze

Kazakhstan, others step gingerly as Ukraine poses existential questions for bloc

25 May 2022
Sardor Umurzakov, Uzbekistan's deputy prime minister and minister of investments and foreign trade.
Interview

Uzbekistan primed for foreign investment after reforms: deputy PM

Energy and agriculture sectors ready for Japanese investors, Umurzakov says

24 April 2022
Air Astana booked a $36.2 million net profit last year, marking a strong rebound from its $94 million loss in 2020 as the aviation industry reeled from a COVID-19 slump. 
Interview

Kazakhstan's Air Astana flies above pandemic turbulence

Carrier bucks global trend with swing to profit as passenger numbers hit record

9 April 2022
Demonstrators take part in an anti-war rally in support of Ukraine in Almaty on Mar. 6: Kazakhstan has allowed large protests against the war.
Opinion

Western powers should exploit Central Asia's unease over Ukraine war

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have both distanced themselves from Moscow

6 April 2022
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivers a speech during a festival in Almaty on March 21.
Politics

Kazakhstan reforms meet skepticism in shadow of Russia's war

Amid 'cosmetic' changes, critics say Tokayev missing chance to break Kremlin's grip

30 March 2022
As the conflict in Ukraine rages, war insurance can give shippers some peace of mind as their freight travels via the China-Europe Railway Express.
Supply Chain

China opens wallet to keep trans-Eurasian express moving

Operators cover 'war insurance' and slash rates

28 March 2022
An Uzbek worker pushes raw cotton: The International Labor Organization says forced labor in the industry has fallen to negligible levels.
International relations

Uzbekistan hopes for 'white gold' rush after cotton boycott lifted

Crop has been both a boon and a curse for the Central Asian nation

17 March 2022
Turkmenistan's Serdar Berdymukhamedov has seen his path to the presidency quickly truncated amid rumors of his father's ill health.
Politics

Turkmenistan election spells change at top, little for public

President's heir Serdar offers quiet contrast to rally driving, horse riding father

11 March 2022
The Karachi plant's new reactor has a capacity to produce 1,100 megawatts of power. (Photo courtesy of China National Nuclear Corp.)
Energy

China's 4th homegrown reactor goes online in Pakistan

Karachi unit is second overseas built on Hualong One technology

8 March 2022
Migrant workers from Uzbekistan collect potatoes at a agrarian field in Beryozovka near Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk: their remittances to their families back home are a crucial source of income.
Opinion

Central Asia braces for economic catastrophe

Sanctions aimed at Russia will have serious knock-on effects

7 March 2022