Via The Diplomat, commentary on why Central Asian countries are betting on the BRI for long-term benefits, despite the apparent risks: The transfer of Hambantota deep-water port in Sri Lanka to China through 2116 set off alarm bells across Asia. Those already warning that China’s ambitious infrastructure development project, the Belt Road Initiative (BRI), was […]
Read more »Via Asian Review, an interesting look at the impact of the BRI’s new infrastructure on ex-Soviet grain exporters: China’s regionwide infrastructure drive is quickly proving to be a game changer in the grain trade. The shift in the landscape was apparent when the Kazakh agriculture minister visited Beijing earlier this month. ”Kazakhstan is willing to work […]
Read more »Courtesy of the Times of Central Asia, interesting analysis of Afghanistan and its relations with Central Asian Republics: On September 17 Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani emphasized the significance of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, lauding the contribution that such large-scale projects could make to the peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan and the sustainable social and […]
Read more »Via Value Walk, some commentary on Kyrgyzstan’s investment potential: Kyrgyzstan is a country in Central Asia lodged between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China, as the map below shows. Back then, just 4.5 million people lived in the country. And its gross domestic product (GDP) was around US$1.5 billion. The country had no stock market (that’s why […]
Read more »Via Times of Central Asia, an article on Tajikistan’s dreams of a renewed Central Asian energy grid: Tajikistan, as well as Kyrgyzstan, possesses huge hydro power resources for electricity generation, but the country mainly produces electricity in summer and experiences power shortages and consequent blackouts in winter. Improved regional cooperation with neighboring countries in the […]
Read more »Courtesy of The Economist, an interesting look at how the five former Soviet republics are struggling to survive the new Great Game: TAJIKISTAN has the vainest ruler in Central Asia. Emomali Rahmon flies what may be the world’s largest flag atop what used to be the world’s tallest flagpole. His capital boasts that it will […]
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