The China-Kyrgyz-Uzbek railway project is causing public grumbling in Kyrgyzstan over the government’s use of eminent domain.Residents there are continuing to voice concerns about the demolition of and compensation for residential buildings to make way for railway construction.
In the Suzak district, 194 buildings will be demolished, with a similar level of demolitions to occur in other districts, reports Turmush.kg.Also, the Cabinet of Ministers submitted a draft for discussion of new regulations for the collection, procurement, and relocation of flora, citing concerns for endangered plants and biodiversity conservation amid construction of the railway, reports 24.kg.
Legal compliance issues relating to the railway were also discussed at a Central Asian-China Legal Forum, held in Bishkek.Forum participants also discussed legal protections for Chinese investments in the region.
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan’s minister of energy and minister of industry held talks with executives of China’s East Hope Group focusing on the implementation of investment projects in the Kostanay region, including a 1 GW coal-fired power plant to power a planned aluminum production project, part of a massive, proposed mining and processing venture.
The investment needed for the project could reach $12.6 billion.East Hope Group is already conducting geological exploration.Kazakhstan’s Senate ratified and sent to the president an “agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments” between Kazakhstan and China.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is expected to sign the pact, which was agreed upon during Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to Astana in June 2025, reports Zakon.kz.Thirty-four Kazakhstani water management specialists traveled to China to participate in a training seminar on water resource management and aquatic environment improvement technologies, reports DKnews.
China covered all expenses, and it is estimated that 200 specialists will receive Chinese training by the end of 2026.Kyrgyzstan Top officials from Kyrgyzstan’s Economic Ministry and China’s Shandong Province have signed two strategic documents, one on industrial development, the other on human resources development.
Kyrgyzstan is developing plans to launch a new Chinese e-commerce marketplace modeled after TikTok Shop, as announced on the radio by Marsel Salakhunov, Chairman of the Marketplace Committee at the E-Commerce Association according to a report distributed by Tazabek.
Tajikistan Tajik President Emomali Rahmon visited China on May 11-14, where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and secured 50 deals purportedly worth over $8 billion, as well as a pledge of $800 million from the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), on top of another 31 agreements of unclear monetary value.
The deals include a $300 million urea production project and $647 million for IT-related projects, along with largely symbolic accords on “deepening comprehensive cooperation and strategic partnership” and “eternal friendship, good-neighborliness, and cooperation.” Turkmenistan The Chinese petrochemical company Puyang Shengyuan is proposing a large-scale gas processing project in Turkmenistan, according to a report distributed by Vestibad.ru, citing Nebit-Gaz.
The project envisions the construction of a methanol production plant with an annual capacity of 1.8 million tons.Chinese professors recently conducted thematic seminars and briefings at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, reports Big Asia.
China is expanding soft-power initiatives in Turkmenistan, including with the launch of its Luban workshop and other initiatives.Uzbekistan Representatives of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment and China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs have agreed on a joint poverty reduction plan covering 2026-2027, according to UzDaily.uz.
Under the joint plan, the Institute for Poverty and Labor Market Research and the International Poverty Reduction Center in China will explore collaborative research initiatives.The two sides also plan to establish a technology transfer center in Uzbekistan.
A bilateral forum on Poverty Reduction in Uzbekistan’s Syrdarya region is now planned for October 2026.