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Belt and Road Initiative

Belt and Road Initiative
The initiative spearheaded by the Chinese government and endorsed by President Xi Jinping in late 2013 aims to improve trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
A Kazakh government Airbus A320 lands at Astana airport in 2024. Photo: Shutterstock Images
China travel

China and Kazakhstan agree to add 28 round-trip flights a week

Officials meeting in Beijing also expanded list of approved Chinese cities to 11, including Chongqing.

Photography

The human faces of China’s belt and road strategy, through Liu Heung-shing’s lens

Hong Kong economy

Mainland Chinese firms on Hong Kong-led Central Asia trip ‘eye city listing’

Belt and Road: Exclusives

Exclusive | Hong Kong and Shenzhen perfect end points for modern Silk Road: top economist

Economist Jeffrey Sachs, who is retracing Marco Polo’s journey to China, described the cities as the ‘world’s greatest innovation cluster’.

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Jeffrey Sachs pictured in Rome with Stella Li, executive vice-president of BYD, which provided him with an electric car. Photo: BYD
Mainland China

Cabo Verde wows at World Cup – with an economic assist from China

From boots to building a stadium, China played a vital role in helping the West African nation qualify for football’s biggest tournament.

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China-Africa relations

China’s port role in Africa extends far beyond docks: study

The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies says Chinese firms are deeply embedded across the continent’s maritime networks.

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Central Asia

Opinion | In today’s ‘great game’, Central Asian nations are no longer prizes to be won

Instead of being caught between great powers, the five Central Asian nations are using hegemonic rivalries to advance their own interests.

People walk past the Nur-Astana Mosque, the third largest mosque in Central Asia, in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 25. Photo: AFP
China trade

China opens new Central Asia rail link to strengthen supply chain resilience

Beijing’s push to develop a transcontinental rail network has reduced exposure to naval chokepoints, analyst says.

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China trade

China cuts through Russia, Mideast instability with alternate cargo route

Middle Corridor through Kazakhstan and across Caspian Sea would have transit time of 15 to 18 days, compared with 45 to 60 for ocean routes.

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Kazakhstan

China, Kazakhstan target deeper ties in minerals and energy at ‘Summer Davos’

At the high-profile forum, Beijing expressed its willingness to work with Astana on deepening cooperation in energy and mineral resources.

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A China-Europe freight train prepares to leave the China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation base in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, in 2023. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Education in Hong Kong

Letters | Hong Kong excels at educating its youth. Now it must create the jobs to match

Readers discuss tapping the city’s competitive edge to expand opportunities abroad, the need for EV battery recycling plants, and reducing data centres’ carbon and water footprints.

Students sit for the DSE Chinese language paper on April 9. Photo: Handout / SCMP Pictures
Asean

Opinion | Beyond geopolitics: for Asean, China is a structural reality

Faced with the structural reality of China, Southeast Asia is trying to turn it into an advantage without losing control of its choices.

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Hong Kong economy

HKEX, Kazakhstan’s AIFC explore dual listings with miners after landmark debut

Head of Astana’s special financial zone says deals signed with Hong Kong during John Lee’s visit mark ‘important milestone’ for cooperation.

Diplomacy

Outside In | Central Asia is finally coming into its own

The region’s five countries, inadvertent beneficiaries of Chinese infrastructure investment, then wars and tariffs elsewhere, are finding their feet.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (second left) visits the Centre for Islamic Civilisation in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on June 5. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong economy

Kazakhstan bank turns to Hong Kong as gateway to offshore renminbi finance

Chinese-backed Altyn Bank says Kazakh investors are turning to Hong Kong dim sum bonds to raise long-term capital for regional infrastructure.

Hong Kong is the world’s largest offshore renminbi liquidity hub. Photo: Photo: AFP
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Why Hong Kong and Kazakhstan are drawing closer

As Kazakhstan seeks to diversify its financial partnerships and deepen engagement with China, Hong Kong’s offerings stand out.

US-China relations

The new Panama? Why Nicaragua could be next front in US-China influence battle

Beijing could move to build an alternative to the Panama Canal in Nicaragua, before the US gets involved, scholar warns.

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Japan

Macroscope | The problem with Japan’s bid to strengthen energy security, supply chains

By competing rather than dovetailing with the Belt and Road Initiative, the joint project with the World Bank reflects increasing regional fragmentation.

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World Bank president Ajay Banga and Japanese finance Minister Satsuki Katayama in Tokyo on June 1. Photo: Kyodo
China-Latin America relations

Opinion | China’s economic inroads in Latin America are hitting political walls

China’s economic gains in the Americas are real, but Donald Trump’s return to the White House shows that political success is another story.

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Hong Kong economy

Direct Hong Kong-Almaty flights ‘will save travellers 10 hours, draw tourists’

Lawmakers say new route set to be launched next year will strengthen business ties and bring tourists to Hong Kong shores, with visa-free access under discussion.

Hong Kong economy

MTR Corp boss Jacob Kam elected chairman of Hong Kong’s largest business chamber

Kam takes over as head of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce for one-year term.

Jacob Kam (left) shake hands with Agnes Chan as chamber deputy chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok looks on. Photo: Dickson Lee
China food security

Opinion | How Asian food security is shifting away from the West

The platform offers a future where Asian nations are less dependent on maritime chokepoints and Western-aligned supply chains.

Kazakh Agriculture Vice-Minister Yermek Kenzhekhanuly (left) and Liu Huanxin, head of China’s National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, pose at the signing for the creation of a grain-trading platform, in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 21. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong economy

Make use of Hong Kong’s advantages, John Lee urges Kazakhstan leaders, companies

Lee meets President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as delegation seals wide range of partnership deals on first day of Central Asia trip.

Science

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

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

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China-Latin America relations

Panama rejects US pressure claims as it seeks to ease China tensions

Panamanian president looks to defuse issues with Beijing as South American country attempts to renew key China maritime agreement.

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Containers sit at the Balboa terminal, formerly run by CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports, after the Panama government ordered the occupation of the port following a court ruling that the concession was unconstitutional. Photo: AP
Hong Kong economy

China Mobile plans fresh Central Asia link to Hong Kong submarine cable network

Telecoms giant’s announcement comes ahead of Hong Kong leader John Lee’s first official visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in early June.

Telecoms giant China Mobile International is planning another route to connect terrestrial cables in Central Asia with Hong Kong’s submarine network. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong economy

Private equity firm Templewater primed as Hong Kong deepens Central Asia ties

Chairman Cliff Zhang says company positioning itself as ‘superconnector’ to channel Middle East funds into emerging market amid volatility elsewhere.

Alibaba

‘Sharif speed’ meets Qwen AI: how Alibaba sealed a sweeping deal with Pakistan

Chairman Joe Tsai uses firm’s mobile AI tool to draft a sweeping tech pact in moments, as ‘frontier technologies’ increasingly enter the global limelight.

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