Kyrgyzstan pleads for more Chinese help in building key infrastructure Bishkek is also angling for yet more room to ease its debt burden. Dec 9, 2020
Kazakhstan sleepwalks toward choice-free parliamentary election But there is no papering over the festering disillusionment. Almaz Kumenov Dec 2, 2020
Kazakhstan to borrow $1.8Bln for COVID fight The government is eager to stress that the loan is all but interest free. Almaz Kumenov Nov 24, 2020
Kazakhstan’s independent media losing advertising battle with bloggers, influencers The government will help outlets that publish its propaganda. Almaz Kumenov Nov 20, 2020
Kyrgyzstan's China debt: Between crowdfunding and austerity Beijing does not appear disposed to give too much leeway. Chris Rickleton Nov 17, 2020
Uzbekistan to begin Chinese vaccine trial 5,000 volunteers have been mobilized for the phase-three trial. Nov 9, 2020
Kazakhstan: Former health minister arrested The healthcare sector has been embroiled in corruption scandals for years. Almaz Kumenov Nov 3, 2020
Kyrgyzstan: Protests flourish as crises mount on all sides Acting President Japarov came to power on the crest of rallies, but will he know how to deal with them as leader? Nov 2, 2020
Perspectives | Why Kazakhstan’s leaders fear regional unrest Rigged elections have created political crises in two other post-Soviet countries this year, leaving Nur-Sultan edgy ahead of a parliamentary vote. Aruzhan Meirkhanova Oct 27, 2020
Ukraine: Zaporizhia bridge emerges as measure of Zelensky’s progress The president bets on a big infrastructure program to reinvigorate his political fortunes. Fabrice Deprez Oct 27, 2020
Kyrgyzstan: Living in the shadow of a sleeping Chinese oil refinery The country's largest oil refinery is no stranger to scandals. Ayzirek Imanaliyeva Oct 22, 2020
Kazakhstan: Avian flu kills nearly 1 million poultry The die-off has caused a shortage of meat and eggs in markets. Almaz Kumenov Oct 21, 2020
Kazakhstan: Parliamentary elections scheduled for January 10 The president says the vote will marking a turning point. Skeptics yawn. Almaz Kumenov Oct 21, 2020
China business briefing: Mooove over, Australia Kazakhstan’s food producers look primed to benefit from China’s increasingly tense relationship with traditional trading partners. This and more in our monthly Chinese business briefing. Niva Yau Oct 7, 2020
COVID and the new debt dynamics of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Before the pandemic, Central Asia’s poorest countries had been managing their Chinese debts quite well. Now they are asking for help. Dirk van der Kley Oct 2, 2020