Via Window on Eurasia, commentary on the potential for north-south trade in Central Asia: Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have agreed to promote the expansion of rail traffic from their countries through Iran to Oman and thus to the world ocean, a path that China will likely be the biggest beneficiary of and that will challenge Moscow’s […]
Read more »Via The Diplomat, a look at Uzbekistan, four years into its liberalization efforts: It has been almost four years since Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev embarked on a modernization mission through a series of political and economic reforms to repair his country’s poor global reputation as repressive and isolated country. By 2019, Mirziyoyev’s political opening aimed at […]
Read more »Via Eurasia Review, a look at the impact of China’s gas demand reductions on Central Asia: As China cuts back on its commitments to import natural gas, it is trying to spread the shortfall among its increasingly hard-pressed suppliers. Hints of tensions have been rising since early March when reports first surfaced that PetroChina, the […]
Read more »Via Dawn, a report on Uzbekistan’s interest in utilizing Karachi and Gwadar ports: Uzbekistan on Thursday formally sought Pakistan’s support for accession to the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA) in a bid to utilise Karachi and Gwadar ports for its trade operations. The formal request was made by Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Sardor Umurzakov […]
Read more »Via Eurasia Review, a report on COVID-19′s impact on China’s demand for natural gas from Central Asia: China’s COVID-19 outbreak has seen Beijing’s demand for natural gas stutter, after years of breakneck expansion. In February, China’s natural gas demand was estimated to have fallen 17 percent year-on-year, and while there were some subsequent indications of recovery for liquefied natural […]
Read more »Via The Atlantic Council, an interesting look at Central Asia and the new Silk Road: With the signing of a US-Taliban peace agreement, now might be a good time to look ahead to how Afghanistan might strengthen its economic connectivity with both its neighbors and more distant markets. Now, there will be a 135-day period of […]
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