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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Across Central Asia, deep-rooted son preference is driving sex-selective abortions and distorting birth ratios. Women describe intense family pressure to bear boys, while experts warn the growing gender imbalance could fuel long-term social instability.
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In Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and neighboring countries, newborn boys outnumber girls at a rate well beyond the worldwide average. That shift is the result of sex-selective abortion, in which families choose to terminate a pregnancy when a daughter is expected. Social scientists warn that this choice is not always made freely by pregnant women, who sometimes face coercion from their husbands and relatives.
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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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