In their 2022 book Sinostan, Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen saw Central Asia as China’s “inadvertent empire”. If that is true – and the five-country region embracing Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan (informally called the C5) certainly sits at the heart of China’s Belt and Road Initiative – then Beijing could not have chosen…
Businesses Seize Emerging Market Opportunities to Further Deepen Belt and Road Collaboration HONG KONG – June 11, 2026 (NEWMEDIAWIRE) – A business delegation led by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), John Lee, and organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from 1 to…
Rocket launches in Kazakhstan are being pitched to Hong Kong travellers, as some Central Asian travel operators make their debut at the city’s flagship travel expo ahead of new direct flights to the region. Six Kazakhstan-based operators set up booths under the theme “Visit Almaty” at the 40th International Travel Expo, the annual event running…
Hong Kong’s business community has signed six agreements with Kazakhstan to support the development of the country’s new hi-tech and economic hub, as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu positioned the city as the project’s gateway to global capital and the mainland Chinese market. The memorandums of understanding (MOUs), unveiled at an investment round table on…
A Kazakhstan-based commercial bank backed by China Citic Bank is seeking to collaborate with Hong Kong financial institutions and investors to develop new financing channels for the Central Asian country through the city’s thriving offshore renminbi market. Murat Baisynov, chairman of Altyn Bank, told the South China Morning Post that three clients of the Almaty-headquartered…
Hong Kong has taken a monumental step forward in expanding its global economic footprint. Last week, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, leading a high-level business delegation, wrapped up a successful five-day mission to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This historic visit – marking the first time the chief executive has led a mission to Central Asia –…
As part of its decades-old “multi-vector” foreign policy, based on balancing relations between major powers such as China, Russia, the United States and the European Union, Kazakhstan – Central Asia’s largest country – is now actively diversifying its economic and financial policies. While in the past, Astana sought to strengthen cooperation with the United Arab…
Hong Kong should revive plans for large-scale reclamation off Lantau Island to run in parallel with the Northern Metropolis project, property magnate Gordon Wu Ying-sheung has said, warning that a lack of urban land will hold back the city’s development as the population grows. The 90-year-old founder and chairman of Hopewell Holdings also described it…
Central Asia can become a strategic logistics hub for Hong Kong as wars in the Middle East and Europe persist, with cargo volume between the city and two countries in the region surging nearly fivefold year on year, the Airport Authority chairman has said. Fred Lam Tin-fuk, who joined a recent trip with Chief Executive…
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has wrapped up his visit to Central Asia after meeting high-level leaders and sealing nearly 100 partnership agreements aimed at opening the “big door” for local and mainland Chinese businesses. While reviving direct flights to the region was considered a big win from the trip, observers noted that the…