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Central Asia

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Central Asia
Central Asia
News from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of the Al Tuffah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City on February 11. The UN human rights office has maintained a presence in Gaza despite the challenges. Photo: EPA
United Nations

Opinion | More than funding, the UN needs restructuring

The UN’s financial strain is a chance to rethink its structure, cut inefficiencies and empower local work that delivers more impact.

China-Russia relations

As Central Asia builds ‘smart cities’ with China, is it moving away from Russia?

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India

‘Structural reality’: why US tariff deal cannot sever India-Russia defence ties

Climate change

Opinion | Why China and Europe should care about Central Asia’s water crisis

Central Asian rivers shape Eurasian trade flows, affect global food markets and contribute to geopolitical instability across the region.

The Dzungarian Alatau mountain range in Kazakhstan. Photo: Central Asia
Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong to formulate first 5-year plan to align with national blueprint

Task force led by Chief Executive John Lee will formulate plan, which one expert says signals greater government role in city’s development.

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What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, January 30-February 1

Indulge in an excess of tea, browse Hong Kong’s independent fashion brands, immerse yourself in Central Asian culture and more this weekend.

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Afghanistan

Why are Afghan-Tajikistan border tensions such a headache for China?

A suicide bombing at a restaurant in Kabul is just the latest sign of how Chinese citizens can become caught up in the region’s instability.

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A Chinese man and at least six Afghans were killed in a restaurant bombing in central Kabul on Monday. Photo: AFP
India

Unrest in Iran complicates India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy

India views the current Iranian government as a ‘predictable counterweight’ against Pakistan’s influence, an analyst says.

Belt and Road Initiative

China ramps up Belt and Road deals amid US competition

A 75 per cent boom in China’s Belt and Road Initiative last year will help lock in resources for the energy transition and AI rush, as well as extending the country’s global reach.

Chinese overseas

Explosion at Chinese restaurant in Afghan capital kills 7

The Afghan branch of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack, saying it was carried out by a suicide bomber.

Taliban security personnel at the scene of the blast in Kabul. Photo: AFP
Belt and Road Initiative

US trade war? China had bigger plans in 2025 as ‘belt and road’ deals surged

China’s global infrastructure strategy logged a record US$213 billion of new deals in 2025, as metals projects in Central Asia soared, report finds.

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Security guards patrol a lithium project in Zimbabwe. China’s engagement in metals and mining projects surged last year, according to a report by the Griffith Asia Institute. Photo: EPA-EFE
India

‘Trump’s wrath’: India’s aim to diversify trade via Iran faces tariff threat

The 25 per cent tariff against countries that trade with Iran may curtail India’s plan to develop the Chabahar port in Iran.

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Food and Drinks

First Look: Yurt, Hong Kong’s ‘first modern Central Asian restaurant’

The Kazakh founders of this SoHo restaurant eventually aim to expand it into a cultural hub, seeing an outpouring of support from the local Central Asian community.

Afghanistan

‘We miss our parents’: Afghanistan-Pakistan border closure leaves thousands in limbo

The colonial-era Durand Line has been largely closed since the October clashes that killed more than 70 people.

A Taliban security personnel stands guard near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing at the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on Monday. Photo: AFP
China trade

How the ‘world’s supermarket’ rode out Trump’s tariffs – and grew even stronger

Yiwu, one of China’s biggest export hubs, was expected to take a hit from US tariffs. Instead, it has seen trade surge.

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Vendors work at the Yiwu International Trade Market, a vast emporium for wholesale goods often dubbed the “world’s supermarket”, in Yiwu, Zhejiang province. The city has recorded strong growth in exports this year despite the US-China trade war. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Muslim businesses in China target Malaysia as global halal gateway

The growing presence of China’s Muslim entrepreneurs at a festival in Kuala Lumpur reflects their trust in Malaysia’s strong halal standards.

Xinjiang

China’s mega expressway tunnel opens in Xinjiang, halves north-south travel time

The project is the biggest of its kind in the world and is expected to help forge stronger regional and international links.

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Yuan

China expands digital-yuan push to Singapore and Asean trade routes

PBOC pledges to integrate e-CNY into the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, boost adoption in Southeast Asia via China’s CIPS payment network.

A customer makes a payment using China’s digital currency, or e-CNY, at a store in Beijing. Photo: Getty Images
Ukraine war

Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war

For hubs of transit trade from Armenia to the UAE, economic self-interest is best served by having sanctions on Russia in place indefinitely.

Food and Drinks

New restaurant Yurt brings Kazakhstan’s horsemeat tradition to Hong Kong

Horsemeat is a central part of Kazakh and Central Asian culture and, for the team at Yurt, there was no question of it not being on the menu.

Japan

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

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Vendors sell traditional Uzbek clothing and jewellery inside a madrasah in Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan In September. Photo: EPA
Donald Trump

Trump expands US travel ban and restrictions to include another 20 countries

The clampdown affects people seeking to travel to the US as visitors as well as those hoping to emigrate there.

People protest at Los Angeles International Airport in June, on the first day of the Trump administration’s full ban against travel from 12 countries and a partial ban on seven others. Photo: AFP
China-India relations

Trump, Modi have ‘warm’ phone call – but 2025 unlikely to end with a trade deal

Even after calls for India to contribute more in the Indo-Pacific to counter China and deepen defence ties, Trump refuses to budge on trade concessions.

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Pakistan

5 killed in latest clash at Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing

Each side has accused the other of launching ‘unprovoked’ attacks at the crossing between Chaman and Spin Boldak, in southern Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Afghan boy, 13, executes family’s killer in echoes of worst days of Taliban rule

The public execution, the 11th carried out since the Taliban seized power in 2021, has drawn global condemnation.

A Taliban policeman looks on as a crowd heads toward a stadium to attend the public execution on Tuesday. Photo: AP
United States

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

The pause applies to people from nations that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June.

Women gather next to an anti-US mural in Tehran. The list of countries targeted in the US memorandum includes Iran. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
Open Questions series

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

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Afghanistan

3 Chinese citizens killed in Tajik-Afghan border clash

Tajik officials claim the workers were killed in a drone and gun attack from Afghanistan, raising tensions in Tajikistan’s volatile border region.

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