Central Asia

17 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)
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
Wreckage lies near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25. An independent Russian military expert says images of the tail reveal damage compatible with shrapnel from small surface-to-air missiles. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
Transportation

Russian air defenses likely brought down Azerbaijan plane, experts say

Embraer 190 was en route to the Russian city of Grozny when it was diverted

27 December 2024
A drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25.
Transportation

Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes in Kazakhstan, killing 38

Aircraft was hundreds of miles off scheduled route when it crashed

26 December 2024
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
Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President, right, embraces Simon Stiell, United Nations climate chief, after gaveling a deal for money to curb climate change at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Climate Change

Nations at U.N. climate talks agree on $300bn a year in compromise deal

Fund aimed at helping poor nations cope with global warming

24 November 2024
Activists hold a demonstration during the COP29 United Nations climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 23.
Climate Change

U.N. climate talks has glimmer of hope for deal, but opposition remains

Countries agree to carbon market but funding package remains up in the air

24 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
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- including China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and the Kazakh host Kassym-Jomart Tokayev -- pose for a group photo in Astana on July 4.
International relations

China and Russia's security bloc tightens bonds as it expands

Belarus the latest to join SCO as group aims to counterbalance the West

5 July 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3. (Sputnik/Pool photo via Reuters)
International relations

Xi Jinping meets Russia's Putin, backs Kazakhstan joining BRICS

Chinese president in Astana for regional SCO summit as tensions with West simmer

3 July 2024
Electric vehicle maker BYD is opening a new factory in Thailand as Chinese EV producers face the prospect of stiff EU tariffs.
Your Week in Asia

Tokyo picks next governor, Shanghai AI conference, BYD opens Thai factory

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

30 June 2024
Komatsu expects demand for mining equipment to grow in Central Asia as more businesses turn to the region's mineral reserves. (Komatsu)
Materials

Komatsu opens Central Asia hub to tap mining rush for EV metals

Region's reserves of lithium and more draw attention as China curbs exports

20 June 2024
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, left, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol inspect an honor guard during a welcome ceremony in Astana on June 12. Yoon is on a three-nation visit to Central Asia.
International relations

South Korea's Yoon seeks deals in Central Asian resource push

Visit to Kazakhstan and other countries aimed at mineral access, less reliance on China

13 June 2024
Registan Square in Samarkand. Uzbekistan is positioned to be a transport hub of the Eurasian continent. (Photo by Akira Takemura)
International relations

Uzbekistan's tech ambitions draw corporate Japan's interest

Tashkent looks to leverage Japanese e-learning to educate and employ youth

26 May 2024
COP29 chief negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev speaks to Nikkei Asia in Tokyo on May 22. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Climate Change

COP29 host urges funding and transparency for 1.5-degree target

Azerbaijan's chief negotiator says 'false perception of risks' hinders investments

22 May 2024
Former Kazakh Economy Minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev during a court hearing in Astana on May 13, when he was found guilty of murdering his common-law wife and sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Crime

Murder trial of Kazakh ex-minister leads to reforms on domestic violence

Kuandyk Bishimbayev sentenced to 24 years in prison for torturing, killing his partner

14 May 2024
"Not enough time, not enough support": Uzbekistan, a landlocked country slightly bigger than California, is facing the consequences of a history of poor irrigation, with rising salinity slashing the size of usable growing areas.
Asia Insight

Uzbek farmers battle to save cotton, wheat crops from mortal enemy: salt

Growing salinization crisis bites as cotton exports to Bangladesh skid 80% in 5 years

7 May 2024
Women at work at the Khiva Silk Carpet Workshop in Khiva, Uzbekistan. The facility opened in 2001 with backing from sources including UNESCO. (All photos by Charukesi Ramadurai)
Arts

Uzbekistan's traditional carpets make a comeback

British adventurer helps to revive skills lost during communist rule

5 May 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of five Central Asian countries who are increasingly worried that if Russia defeats Ukraine, it will start interfering in their internal affairs. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Comment

The ghost of Soviet Union returns to haunt Central Asia, Caucasus

Fear of Russian political meddling grows as its troops regain footing in Ukraine

14 April 2024