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Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

China-led SCO bloc looks to fast-track plan for new bank that would rival Western lenders

China’s expanding footprint in Central Asia

Hong Kong well placed to help Central Asia grow yuan trade, leading banker says

Central Asia

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) arrives in Astana for the second China-Central Asia Summit in June 2025. He was welcomed at the airport by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Photo: AFP

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China

Diplomacy

As Iran war stokes water security fears, Central Asia could turn to China

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Cotton growers walk through a plantation outside Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Irrigation and drainage systems built in Central Asia by the Soviet Union have fallen into neglect since the state dissolved in the early 1990s. Photo: AFP

A Soviet-era system for watering fields pictured in Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda province in 2019. Photo: Shutterstock 

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) waves after arriving in Astana for the second China-Central Asia Summit in June. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was at the airport to welcome the Chinese leader. Photo: AFP

Nations facing chronic water shortages might look to Chinese investment to upgrade their creaking Soviet-era infrastructure, observers say.


How Chinese green tech and investment are reshaping the Central Asian landscape

Illustration: Henry Wong

As the belt and road pivots towards clean energy, Kazakhstan and its neighbours are emerging as top partners for Beijing-backed projects.


The damaged stern of a bulk carrier operated by South Korean shipper HMM is seen after it was struck by two unidentified objects on May 4 while stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: South Korean Foreign Ministry handout via Reuters

Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action.


From addressing critical water security fears to driving a regional green tech revolution, Beijing is cementing its role as an indispensable partner to Central Asia. This three-part series investigates China’s expanding influence in the region amid global geopolitical uncertainty, exploring how new investments and diplomatic ties are reshaping the Central Asian landscape.
