Central Asia
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Central Asia

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Central Asia
Central Asia
News from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
Evacuees embrace loved ones at Kuala Lumpur International Airport following their escape from conflict-hit Iran. Photo: Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/EPA-EFE
Malaysia

Out of the line of fire: Malaysian evacuees’ 1,000km escape to safety from Iran

A convoy of 17 Malaysians and one Singaporean endured a harrowing 24-hour overland journey across Iran to reach safety as violence escalated.

Kazakhstan

Opinion | Why China’s Central Asian footprint is about to get bigger

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Tajikistan

Editorial | Central Asia friendship pact bolsters stability

SCMP Highlights

China-EU friction in spotlight, Beijing’s growing clout: SCMP daily highlights

From a new mainland China-Hong Kong payment scheme to Beijing’s influence in Central Asia, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

Chinese officials and state media deny comments by the EU that Beijing is weaponising its manufacturing power to disrupt global trade. Photo: Reuters
China airliners

China’s aerospace drive, Summer Davos and more

This week: Comac sets goal for C929 plane, PBOC outlines steps to boost use of yuan, China woos Central Asia and President Xi calls for de-escalation in the Middle East. Next week: Summer Davos in Tianjin, Nato summit, Trump’s steel tariffs to hit Chinese appliances and more.

Diplomacy

China’s influence is growing in Central Asia. What does that mean for Russia?

Beijing focuses on development as it avoids challenging Moscow as Central Asia’s dominant power and security guarantor, analysts say.

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China manufacturing

Premier urges China’s Jiangsu to embrace ‘higher development expectations’

Province’s GDP rose 5.9 per cent year on year in first quarter, closing in on top-ranked Guangdong.

Premier Li Qiang visits a machinery manufacturer in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | Israeli strikes one more challenge for new China-Iran rail corridor

Weeks before the air strikes, a new overland trade route was launched that could help Iran evade sanctions and advance its regional ambitions.

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India

What India’s break with SCO reveals about its stance on Israel-Iran conflict

India’s opt-out of SCO censure is driven by its need to safeguard strategic and economic interests with both Israel and Iran, analysts say.

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China-Russia relations

China pushes regional finance bank as Russia pivots to Asia: analysts

Beijing’s bid to deepen Eurasian economic integration gains momentum as Western pressure forces Moscow to recalibrate, analysts say.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, July 3, 2024. Photo: AP
Diplomacy

China and Central Asian leaders cap summit with friendship pact and aid pledge

Beijing commits more than a billion yuan to a region at the heart of its infrastructure and security interests.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the sidelines of the China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua
Israel-Iran conflict

China’s Xi urges Israel, Iran to ‘de-escalate’, says Beijing can be peacemaker

President Xi Jinping’s remarks during talks with Uzbek counterpart come as China begins to evacuate nationals from Iran and Israel.

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Diplomacy

Xi boosts China ties in resource-rich Central Asia

A summit with five leaders from Central Asia offers President Xi Jinping the chance to snap up more raw materials for China’s economy in a region once viewed as Russia’s backyard.

Diplomacy

Xi Jinping heads to energy-rich Kazakhstan for China-Central Asia summit

Xi is looking to foster solidarity with his counterparts against unilateralism and protectionism.

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Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (left) greets Chinese President Xi Jinping as he arrives in in Astana for the second China-Central Asia Summit. Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Xi to meet Central Asian leaders as both sides seek ‘stronger coordination’

Summit in Kazakhstan expected to focus on transport, energy, security governance, digital economy and green transition, analysts say.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) meets his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana last year, when they signed dozens of cooperation agreements. Photo: Xinhua
India

Why India and Pakistan are courting Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers

Need for a united front, business opportunities and China’s growing footprint among factors for changing calculus in South Asia, analysts say.

United States

Trump’s new travel ban takes effect, citizens of 12 nations barred from US

Ban comes amid rising tensions over the US president’s escalating campaign of immigration enforcement.

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Afghanistan

Taliban offers amnesty to Afghan refugees, urges them to return home

Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund made the amnesty offer in his message for Eid al-Adha, promising returning Afghans would not be harmed.

A Taliban fighter stops a man carrying a gun to check his documents during the Eid al-Adha prayer in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday. Photo: AP
Asia travel

Glimpse the old and new travelling the ancient Silk Road

A new book recounts the last leg of a 40,000km Silk Road odyssey, revealing the age-old sights and sounds of the Middle Kingdom.

Kazakhstan

Opinion | Why countries cannot afford to turn inward on climate security

While Kazakhstan is taking steps towards mitigating climate change’s effects, the world needs major actors to step up and lead the way.

Science

Genes whisper ancient tales of longest human migration out of Asia

DNA analysis helps researchers unlock mysteries of indigenous groups who crossed prehistoric land bridge to western hemisphere.

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A new genetic study finds that early migrants to South America formed distinct groups that remained isolated because of environmental conditions. Photo: Nanyang Technological University
Afghanistan

Chess banned in Afghanistan over Taliban gambling concerns

The Taliban has imposed laws and regulations that reflect its austere vision of Islamic law.

Chessboards in an empty hall with no players at the Kabul Elite Chess Club in Kabul. Photo: AFP
China-Russia relations

Opinion | How China became central to Russia’s Victory Day parade

Russia may have hoped to send the message that it is not isolated but the event’s list of expected attendees is not entirely convincing.

Malaysia

China rail link in Malaysia’s sights as Bangkok cargo route gets go-ahead

A direct service to Thailand set to begin operations this year would improve connectivity to China, Laos and Central Asia, officials said.

China-Russia relations

Opinion | Russia-China division of power in Central Asia is wearing thin

While Russia held a near monopoly over weapons sales in the region, the war in Ukraine has changed this, offering China an opening.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev walk into a meeting of the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Heads of State Council Summit, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 16, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool
Middle East

Taliban’s morality police arrest men for skipping mosque or wrong hairstyles

During the holy fasting month of Ramadan, men’s attendance at mandated prayers was closely monitored, leading at times to arbitrary detention.

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An Afghan street barber trims the mustauche of a customer in Kabul. Photo: AP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV industry pressed to accelerate global expansion amid tariffs

Companies should balance exports and overseas production while seeking to achieve win-wins with foreign partners, former vice-minister says.

Diplomacy

‘Eternal peace’: Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border deal opens path to visa-free zone

The agreement, which settled territorial disputes related to nearly 500km of the border, also included mutual access to water and energy.

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