Data compiled by RFE/RL reveals how a surge in high-level diplomacy, economic engagement, and regional initiatives has elevated Beijing from a neighboring power to Central Asia’s leading economic partner.
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China has overtaken Russia as the largest source of foreign direct investment in Central Asia, according to the Eurasian Development Bank. China’s accumulated investment in the region exceeded $35 billion in 2025, it said.
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When Kazakhstan launched Central Asia’s first large-scale cloud-seeding program on May 17, it called it a high-tech response to drought, water scarcity, and accelerating desertification.
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Russia is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to build schools and universities across Central Asia, reinforcing the use of the Russian language at a time when younger generations in the region are increasingly exposed to Western and Chinese influences.
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Environmental activists in Kyrgyzstan are opposing plans to stage the UIM F1H2O World Championship on Lake Issyk-Kul this summer, warning that the high-speed powerboat races could harm one of Central Asia’s most sensitive ecosystems.
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The coup trial of former security chief Kamchybek Tashiev has become the clearest sign yet of a profound transformation inside Kyrgyzstan’s political system. Far from an ordinary criminal case, the proceedings reflect President Sadyr Japarov’s effort to eliminate the last major rival within the ruling elite and cement a new era of centralized presidential power.
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Kyrgyzstan has taken sweeping action to clamp down on companies suspected of circumventing Western sanctions imposed on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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A major military museum in the western German city of Koblenz is denying entry to nationals from 26 countries, causing tense scenes with some visitors who arrive with children.
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