Central Asia

16 January 2026
With floods generally increasing in the Asia-Pacific, a loaded boat navigates the swollen Indus River in Pakistan's Sindh province.  
People stand on Nov. 25 in front of houses in Afghanistan's Kunar province that the Taliban government said were damaged after Pakistan carried out raids. 
Opinion

Afghanistan is once again proving that geography is destiny

Nation sits at intersection of Indian, Pakistani, Chinese and Russian ambitions

31 December 2025
Donald Trump and leaders of the C5+1 Central Asian countries dine in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 6. 
Opinion

The US returns to region between Russia, China and Iran

Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity will link Turkey and the West

25 December 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a dinner with the leaders of Central Asia in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 6. 
Trump administration

Trump invites Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan leaders to Miami G20

Central Asian leaders had only participated in summits held in Russia and China

24 December 2025
Mitsubishi Corp. looks to import gallium into Japan for the first time.
Supply Chain

Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. to import critical metal gallium from Kazakhstan

Tokyo looks beyond China for source of material used in EV components

24 December 2025
Japan hosted its first-ever summit with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Tokyo on Dec. 2025.
International relations

Japan, Central Asian nations agree to seek stable resource supplies

Tokyo and the five former Soviet republics agree to bypass Russia

20 December 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses Central Asian leaders in Tokyo on Dec. 19 at a banquet. (Photo by Shun Kato)
International relations

Japan's Toyota Tsusho, others eye infrastructure investments in Central Asia

PM Takaichi to host five leaders at summit with 100-plus projects in works

20 December 2025
A drone view shows the Varvarinskoye gold deposit in Kazakhstan's Kostanay region on April 15. Central Asia's rich natural resources and its untapped rare earth potential are drawing global interest.
International relations

Central Asia's geopolitical weight rises as Japan plans first summit

Tokyo seeks closer partnership but geography and poor access create challenges

18 December 2025
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium's terminal near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. (Caspian Pipeline Consortium handout via Reuters)
Energy

Kazakhstan oil economy hit by Ukraine drone strike on Russian assets

Pipeline carrying 80% of Kazakh crude could take a year to repair

14 December 2025
Japan's engagement with Central Asian countries was been foreign minister meetings, such as this one in 2022. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Artificial intelligence

Japan, Central Asia to partner on AI mining tech at maiden summit

Leaders to gather in Tokyo on Dec. 20, an upgrade from foreign ministers' meetings

13 December 2025
A shepherd rides his horse in the Ili River in Kazakhstan's Almaty region in this photo taken with a drone. 
Transportation

Kazakh plan to revive Ili River route to China lacks one thing: water

Inland logistics hub project depends on water management by Beijing

7 December 2025
President Donald Trump poses for a photo with leaders of the C5 Central Asian countries in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 6. (White House photo)
Trump administration

'Central Asia Quartet' offers new America First model abroad: analysts

Partnership with Turkey, Japan and South Korea could be force multiplier without heavy footprint

1 December 2025
These trucks are loaded with the belongings of Afghans attempting to return to their country after Pakistan closed border crossings with Afghanistan. They were pictured at the border crossing in Chaman, Pakistan, on Oct. 16.
Trade war

Pakistan's trade war with Afghanistan boomerangs on its economy

Taliban turns to Iran and India after border clashes shut key routes

30 November 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a dinner with the leaders of the C5+1 Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 6. 
Trump administration

Trump's Belt and Road: Abraham Accords reach Central Asia

Middle East initiative becomes new US tool for global power projection

11 November 2025
Authors Bradley Jardine and Edward Lemon examine, among other themes, how local resistance challenges China’s growing influence in Central Asia. The photo on the right shows an anti-China protest in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in 2019. (Source photos by Hurst, Reuters) 
Books

Books: Central Asia as a test case for China's new world order

'Backlash' explores how Beijing's Belt and Road ambitions face opportunity and opposition across the steppe

7 November 2025
Russia's small modular reactor capabilities include floating power plants suitable for remote areas lacking infrastructure or the coastal areas of island nations.
4 November 2025
Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent. Foreign investment is driving the country's economic growth. (Photo by Akira Takemura)
International relations

Japan to lead $1.45bn loan for Uzbekistan renewables

Tokyo eyes more influence in region where China, Russia hold sway

28 October 2025
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao was appointed as an advisor to the president of Kyrgyzstan on digital assets.
Cryptocurrencies

Kyrgyzstan launches national stablecoin in partnership with Binance

Changpeng Zhao, exchange's founder, says the digital coin is on the BNB Chain

26 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to host Central Asian leaders in November. (White House photo)
24 October 2025
A BYD Song SUV: The Chinese automaker and its peers are growing in Uzbekistan and beyond, but face a tough endurance test. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Electric vehicles

BYD, Chinese rivals rise in Uzbekistan but can't outrun price war

As Central Asian nation embraces EVs, unofficial dealers undercut brands

21 October 2025
The international airport will be built in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, which is expected to see a continued rise in passenger traffic. (Photo by Akira Takemura)
Transportation

Uzbek airport project spotlights $1bn investment push by Japan's Sojitz

Trading house aims to build hospital, wind farm in region tilting toward West

2 October 2025
Companies, workers and investors worldwide are trying to understand what AI means for the labor market.
Technology

AI will be a 'real challenge' for employment: Chinese private equity CEO

Investors weigh concerns and opportunities as technology shakes up labor market

18 September 2025
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, left, met with Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov on Aug. 27 during a visit to Central Asia. (Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
International relations

Japan makes diplomatic push in resource-rich Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan

Foreign Minister Iwaya aims to make up for Tokyo's lagging presence in Central Asia

28 August 2025
Chinese companies funneled $44 billion into energy-related deals in countries aligned with the Belt and Road Initiative in the first half 2025, the highest since the initiative was launched in 2013.
Caixin

Record spending on Belt and Road targets energy and mineral resources

Funding by Chinese companies in 2025 is on pace to double last year's $122 billion

25 August 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Oct. 18, 2023. Hong Kong is being positioned as a hub for BRI-related financing.
Belt and Road

Hong Kong strengthens Belt and Road links amid US-China tensions

Uzbekistan's $1.68bn fund eyes listing as city courts emerging markets

11 August 2025
Kazakhstan estimates it will face a shortage of 6 gigawatts of energy by 2030.
Energy

Critics question Russia's ability to build Kazakh nuclear power plant

Worries swirl over Rosatom selection, as China's CNNC recruited for 2nd project

26 July 2025
A worker carries a bucket of water as he walks on railway tracks in Karachi, Pakistan. A plan by Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan to construct a railway link has raised questions about feasibility.
Transportation

New Central Asia-Pakistan rail plan faces funding, security issues

Landlocked Uzbekistan, Afghanistan to gain access to Pakistani ports under deal

25 July 2025
The flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is seen outside the country's embassy in Moscow after Russia recognized the Taliban government earlier this month.
International relations

Russia, China shake up Eurasian order with Taliban rapprochement

Asian powers eye partner to quash terrorism, secure transport routes

17 July 2025
Japanese companies are recruiting workers for a wide range of jobs, from manufacturing to services. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
Japan immigration

Japan looks beyond ASEAN to Uzbekistan, Bangladesh for more workers

Companies pivot to South and Central Asia as influx from Vietnam slows

17 July 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump released the first batch of letters on July 7 informing countries of the tariff rates their exports to the U.S. will face, starting Aug. 1.
Trump tariffs

Trump imposes 25% tariffs on Japan, South Korea, Malaysia

Myanmar and Laos see 40% rate, among slew of levies to take effect Aug. 1

8 July 2025