Trade aspirations and security concerns bringing Central Asia and Pakistan closer together

Central Asian states are cultivating growing connections to Pakistan, as decades of suspicion and hostility give way to a mutual desire to expand trade and strengthen regional security. A trip by Kyrgyzstan’s president, Sadyr Japarov, to Islamabad on December 3-4 highlights the rapid expansion of engagement. The visit, the first such visit by a Kyrgyz […]

Read More

Can Singapore’s cyber laws keep pace with speed of borderless online threats?

By Kolette Lim Singapore’s approach to curbing foreign interference and cybercrime is being tested by the sheer speed and borderless nature of online threats, according to analysts who say the city state’s legal powers provide important safeguards but are unlikely to fully keep pace with a rapidly evolving digital landscape. They note that while swift […]

Read More

China’s Li says tariff consequences increasingly evident

China’s Premier Li Qiang said on Tuesday the “mutually destructive consequences of tariffs have become increasingly evident” over 2025, in remarks at a “1+10 Dialogue” including the heads of the IMF, World Trade Organization and World Bank. Without naming US President Donald Trump, China’s second-highest ranking official told the meeting in Beijing that greater effort […]

Read More

‘Blue ocean market’: why Brazil is becoming a magnet for Chinese investment

By Ji Siqiin Beijing With their domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. In early […]

Read More

Nepal charges Chinese contractor with corruption over airport deal

By Bibek Bhandari Nepal’s anti-corruption watchdog has filed criminal charges against ex-ministers, senior bureaucrats and a Chinese state-owned construction giant accused of inflating costs and manipulating contracts at a multimillion-dollar infrastructure project. The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Sunday charged 55 people, including five former tourism and finance ministers, 10 ex-government […]

Read More

Made In Central Asia: Leaders Eye $20 Billion Trade Milestone as Regional Cooperation Deepens

By Vagit Ismailov The first meeting of trade and investment ministers from Central Asian countries, joined by Azerbaijan, has taken place in Tashkent, where participants agreed to nearly double mutual trade to $20 billion and discussed launching a regional brand, Made in Central Asia. Opening the session, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade, Laziz […]

Read More

Afghanistan shifts trade to Iran route to avoid Pakistan closures

KABUL, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Landlocked Afghanistan is leaning more heavily on trade routes through Iran and Central Asia to reduce dependence on Pakistan, officials said, as tension between the neighbours escalates, with their border closed in recent weeks. Afghanistan’s reliance on Pakistan’s ports has long given Islamabad leverage to press Kabul over Pakistani militants […]

Read More

China launches K-visa to attract foreign tech professionals amid US immigration uncertainty

China has introduced a new visa program aimed at drawing foreign technology professionals, mirroring the US H-1B visa in an effort to boost the country’s global competitiveness in advanced industries such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and robotics. The so-called K-visa is part of Beijing’s broader push to attract international talent at a time when US […]

Read More

India approves $5.1 billion package for exporters after US tariffs hit

India’s cabinet has approved spending 450.6 billion rupees ($5.1 billion) on support for exporters, including 200 billion rupees in credit guarantees on bank loans, Information Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. The plan includes the allocation of 250.6 billion rupees over six years for affordable trade finance for small exporters, logistics and market support under […]

Read More