Politics

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, center, hand shakes with Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani, right, and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi prior to a meeting in Islamabad on Sept. 7.
International relations

China edges closer to Afghanistan as US cancels peace talks

Taliban attacks irk Trump, opening the door for Beijing's overtures to Islamabad

9 September 2019
From left, Naypyidaw, Putrajaya and Astana (source photo from Reuters)
Politics

A short history of relocating capitals in Asia

Indonesia's move has precedents in places such as Myanmar and Malaysia

30 August 2019
Chinese and Afghan national flags flutter on a lamppost on the Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Belt and Road

Afghanistan peace talks open way for China's Belt and Road

As US looks to end its longest war, Beijing cultivates ties with Taliban

27 August 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping is pushing his signature Belt and Road Initiative with the goal of creating a massive economic zone that will link China to Europe by land and sea.
Comment

Russia is in danger of being overrun by China's Belt and Road

A new Eurasian order is in the making, with Beijing in the driver's seat

17 August 2019
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in St. Petersburg in June: Though the two leaders have found common cause in opposing Washington, their friendship has limits, experts say.
Comment

Russia and China romance runs into friction in Central Asia

US strategists call for driving wedge between the traditional rivals

29 July 2019
Kazakhstan's interim president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has promised to write off the mortgage and tax debts of low-income people, straining the government's budget.
Economy

Kazakhstan's political uncertainty weighs on its currency

Transition to permanent president and the ruble to determine tenge's value

29 July 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, greets Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House in Washington on July 22.
International relations

US and Pakistan mend ties as Washington seeks Afghanistan exit

Trump also surprises Khan with offer to mediate Kashmir dispute with India

23 July 2019
In South Asia, cricket is a continuation of war by other means.
Opinion

Cricket world cup highlights South Asia's fault lines

Fans use matches to score political points against regional rivals

12 July 2019
As global average temperatures warm, glaciers are retreating.
Opinion

Himalayan states must unite to protect mountain environment

Time for a Himalayas Council to manage and safeguard vital water supplies

10 July 2019
Putin's approval rating has dropped significantly in recent years as excitement following the annexement of the Crimean peninsula wore off and his reform of the pension system by raising the retirement age proved unpopular.
Comment

What Putin can learn from Kazakhstan's 'retired' leader

Nazarbayev's neat succession plot could set example for Russian president

23 June 2019
Kazakhstan's then-interim President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev takes the oath of office during a ceremony in a joint session of parliament in Nur-Sultan on March 20. 
Politics

New Kazakh president under pressure as youths demand reform

Nation elects first non-Soviet president, but Nazarbayev still holds reins

19 June 2019
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev looks set to win a snap election in Kazakhstan on June 9.
Politics

Eurasian integration tops Kazakhstan election campaign

Critics say ex-president's post in Russian-led union pose a threat to independence

6 June 2019
Gombojav Zandanshatar, chairman of the State Great Hural of Mongolia, speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo on May 30. (Photo by Manami Yamada)
The Future of Asia 2019

Mongolia braces for delay of state coal giant's IPO

Parliament chief says elections could interrupt move to list company this year

31 May 2019
Gombojav Zandanshatar, chairman of the State Great Hural of Mongolia, discusses the country's geographic advantages at the Future of Asia forum on May 30. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
The Future of Asia 2019

Mongolia hopes for Belt and Road bonanza without heavy debt

Ulaanbaatar promotes economic corridor to connect China and Russia

30 May 2019
The resignation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, left, in March made way for Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to take the reins of government. (Nikkei montage/Source images by Reuters and Getty Images)
Asia Insight

Kazakh strongman leaves unfinished business in rush to secure legacy

Chinese projects take back seat as Nazarbayev's successor seeks stability

7 May 2019
A worker at Khorgos Gateway, which operates a container terminal on the border between Kazakhstan and China, directs a crane as it unloads steel coils from a container. (photo by Wataru Suzuki)
Belt and Road

China's Belt and Road hits a speed bump in Kazakhstan

'Dry port' pins its hopes on foreign investors to spur faster growth

24 April 2019
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told a ruling party convention on April 23 he would ensure the "continuity" of his predecessor's policies, including on the economy and foreign trade.
Politics

Former Kazakh strongman backs successor in presidential election

New leader faces task of jump-starting growth and foreign direct investment

24 April 2019
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev takes the oath after he assumed the post of Kazakhstan's interim president during a joint session of the houses of parliament in Astana.
Politics

New Kazakh president vows 'continuity' as world eyes who's next

Long-serving predecessor still looms large and has daughter in chain of succession

21 March 2019
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev arrives for the ASEM 12 summit in Brussels in October 2018.
Politics

Kazakhstan's President Nazarbayev resigns but retains key posts

Strongman set to keep influence over resource-rich nation after three-decade rule

20 March 2019
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan hope to launch a joint visa soon that will allow ease of travel between the two countries.
International relations

Joint visa plan opens doors for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Easier travel between the two signals the start of warmer ties in region

16 March 2019
China is seeking to strengthen ties with Afghanistan, as the U.S. makes plans to withdraw part of its troops which were deployed there soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
Belt and Road

China has economic aims as it quietly builds bonds with Afghanistan

As US plans to scale down military presence, Beijing seeks to fill the void

14 January 2019
A man protests outside the State Palace in Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday @Byamba-Ochir Byambasuren
Politics

Mongolia shaken by widening loan scandal

Business owners protest over preferential benefits for officials

16 November 2018
A Chinese worker is seen during an inauguration ceremony for the Kazakh stretch of the Turkmenistan-China pipeline, outside Almaty.
Commodities

Kazakhstan to double gas exports to China in 2019

Trade war and new infrastructure open door to send 10bn cu. meters

28 October 2018
BRI in progress: A freight train bound for Malaszewicze, Poland leaves the railway port in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, China.
Economy

China's Belt and Road investment hits high as overall FDI falls

Record sum poured into initiative in 2017 looks set to be beaten this year

8 October 2018
A security officer holds out a detector on a street in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang in 2013.
Interview

Exiled Uyghur leader seeks UN Security Council action on China

About 3m people are being held in detention camps in Xinjiang, says Dolkun Isa

23 September 2018