Central Asia

27 April 2025
Central Asia is among the regions that China is courting in response to the Trump tariffs. (Screenshot from the website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, is due to meet with Kenyan counterpart William Ruto, left, and Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev a week after he toured Southeast Asia, tightening Beijing's ties with developing countries. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
International relations

China woos trade war 'circle of friends' as Kenya, Azerbaijan leaders visit

Xi Jinping's outreach comes as U.S. wields tariffs and reins in aid

22 April 2025
Users of PayPay's partner platforms can pay at stores in Japan by scanning a QR code. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki) 
Technology

Japan's PayPay ties up with BigPay, 3 more digital payment platforms

Service expands global partnerships with eye on inbound tourists

15 April 2025
Leaders of the five Central Asian countries meet with European Union leaders in Uzbekistan on April 4. (Uzbekistan's Presidential Press Office via AP)
International relations

Central Asia border deals open door for Japan to strengthen ties

Historic agreements settle instability in resource-rich region

14 April 2025
Scenes from Almaty: The capital of Kazakhstan until 1997, the city's Silk Road and European influences still echo in its architecture, cuisine and cultural traditions. (All photos by Kalpana Sunder)
Destinations

Footloose in Almaty: Kazakhstan's cultural capital

Picturesque city where the nomadic steppes meet modern Europe

12 April 2025
From left: Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, European Council President Antonio Costa, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Samarkand, April 4. (Uzbekistan's Presidential Press Office via AP)
International relations

EU leaders hold their first summit with Central Asian states

Von der Leyen announces $13.2bn investment package to increase cooperation

4 April 2025
People walk outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on March 18, 2025. 
Opinion

The U.N. must not be abandoned

The international community must support and strengthen multilateral institutions

4 April 2025
The first EU-Central Asia Summit is taking place in Samarkand. (Nikkei montage)
International relations

EU hopes to sway Central Asia in first interregional summit

Russia, China loom over Samarkand talks on security, trade, energy

3 April 2025
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev meet in Khujand, Tajikistan, on March 31 with an eye on expanding regional trade. (Photos by Reuters)
International relations

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to hold 1st trilateral summit

A border agreement involving the fertile Fergana Valley to be formalized

31 March 2025
Unskilled migrants in South Korea often work in the agricultural sector.
Immigration

Uzbeks flock to South Korea even as economy weakens

Hard-to-enter East Asian country provides better pay, more opportunities than Russia

16 March 2025
A giant AFC Asian Cup trophy is displayed before the semi-final match between Iran and hosts Qatar in Doha on Feb. 7, 2024.
Sports

The six-horse race to host soccer's Asian Cup in 2031

A joint Central Asian bid will battle Kuwait, Indonesia, the UAE, South Korea and Australia

16 March 2025
Ibuki 2 collects greenhouse gas data across several Asian countries, including Mongolia and Kazakhstan. (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
Climate Change

Japan uses satellites to expand greenhouse gas tracking in Asia

Country- and business-specific data seen spurring use of Japanese climate tech

14 March 2025
Barrels of uranium oxide are stored in Kazakhstan. Global demand for uranium is expected to rise as countries shift toward nuclear power.
Energy

Japan's Itochu buys into Uzbek uranium mine

Trading house to take stake in project by state miner and France's Orano

13 March 2025
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov, right, shakes hands with his Tajik counterpart, Emomali Rahmon, during a meeting in Bishkek on March 13.
International relations

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan sign deal to end border dispute

Presidents also agree to reopen road, rail and air transport links

13 March 2025
Kazakhstan is a significant producer of oil as well as key mineral resources such as uranium.
International relations

Japan's Ishiba aims for resource partnerships with Central Asia outreach

PM's adviser embarks on regional tour to promote energy and mineral development

30 January 2025
Attacks in Pakistan by militants including members of the Tehreek Taliban Pakistan -- the Pakistani Taliban -- claimed the lives of nearly 600 civilians and almost 750 security personnel in 2024, making it the deadliest year in a decade for the country. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Getty Images)
Policy Asia

Pakistani-Afghan conflict fears grow as border clashes multiply

Hopes for resolution fade as Islamabad claims Taliban harboring Pakistani militants

17 January 2025
Freight and passenger carriages await departure from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. (Photo by Joe Barnes)
Transportation

Recent deals show value of Trans-Caspian route in turbulent times

High-level talks, COP29 pact demonstrate interest in trade passage, but challenges remain

2 January 2025
Tanks at an oil field operated by Caspiy Neft, one of Kazakhstan's largest oil companies. Oil revenue is an important source of funds for the national government.
Economy

Kazakhstan's budget concerns deepen as oil prices hinge on Trump policy

Poor tax discipline leaves government struggling to balance books

22 December 2024
A customs gate on China-Kazakhstan border, about 3,500 kilometers from Beijing.  (Photo by Yuri Momoi)
Belt and Road

'Modern Silk Road' brings booming trade to China-Kazakhstan border

Cross-regional exchanges and live commerce flourish thanks to major railway project

8 December 2024
President Xi Jinping elevated the China-Europe express freight train network into a national project. (Source photos by Yuri Momoi, Sputnik via Reuters)
Comment

China advances economic security with plan to revive modern Silk Road

China-Europe rail link provides alternative supply chain to Indo-Pacific bloc

26 November 2024
Kazakhstan faces a shortage of 6 gigawatts of energy by 2030, the government estimates.
Energy

Kazakhs to vote on government plan for new nuclear power plant

But critics cite risks of deeper Russian influence, incompetence, corruption

5 October 2024
A view shows railway packages for containers with uranium hexafluoride salt, raw material for nuclear reactors at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in the northeastern industrial city of Oskemen, Kazakhstan. 
Opinion

Kazakhstan must shake off testing-site past and vote 'yes' to nuclear energy

Oct. 6 referendum is chance for nation to stabilize regional energy supplies

3 October 2024
Competitors line up for a traditional archery competition during the Fifth World Nomad Games in Astana, Kazakhstan. (All photos by Kit Yeng Chan)
Life

Eagles, wrestling and horseback archery at the World Nomad Games

Competitors from Kazakhstan to Japan meet in biggest-ever Turkic sports event

21 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)
Life

Tsaghkunk puts 'cave cuisine' on your plate

Soviet and underground buildings showcase Armenia's unique culinary history

19 September 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