Fresh off a disappointing trip to the United States, Turkmenistan’s paramount leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has made a quick, and seemingly more satisfying pivot to China.Berdymukhamedov traveled to Beijing on March 17-19 for discussions with a variety of officials and business executives, the centerpiece of which was a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
According to an account of the talks published by the official Xinhua news agency, the two pledged to expand cooperation in the “natural gas sector, and elevate trade and investment levels,” adding that they would explore collaborative opportunities “in non-resource fields, including connectivity, agriculture, artificial intelligence, digital economy and clean energy.” Berdymukhamedov also indicated that Turkmenistan was ready to align its development strategy with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and “strengthen coordination and cooperation with China in multilateral platforms such as the United Nations and the China-Central Asia mechanism to jointly safeguard peace and stability.” In addition, the Turkmen leader showed openness to an expansion of Chinese cultural influence in Turkmenistan via the opening of “Luban workshops, traditional Chinese medicine centers and cultural centers,” Xinhua reported.
Berdymukhmedov’s embrace of Beijing occurred about a month after he paid a quiet visit to the United States, where he reportedly was snubbed by the Trump administration in a bid to obtain a place on the president’s Board of Peace.
Kazakhstan In 2025, about 2,600 ethnic Kazakhs arrived in Kazakhstan from China after obtaining permanent residency status.The total marks a 29 percent increase compared to the number recorded in 2024 and is the highest figure in the last eight years, according to DataHub.
The new arrivals mostly settled in and around Almaty and Astana.Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy and a Chinese-Kazakh joint venture called Aktau Energy Company LLP have signed a deal for the construction of a new 160-megawatt combined-cycle gas turbine power plant in Aktau.
Seventy percent of project’s budget of 108 billion tenge (about $225 million) will be provide by “the Chinese partner,” the ministry’s statement said, without adding other details.
The project includes not just building a power plant, but an extensive training component for Kazakh specialists, including funding for Kazakh nationals to undertake graduate-level study in the PRC.
China’s National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Corporation (CNODC) is challenging the Kazakh Ministry of Energy over tariff changes for Russian oil transported through Kazakhstan, writes Kursiv.
The changes reportedly cost CNODC $15 million a year.Qazpost, Kazakhstan’s national postal service operator, is working with JD.com, China’s second largest online retailer, to launch a localized e-commerce platform that will optimize the use of Qazpost’s infrastructure by JD.com’s customers in Kazakhstan, writes Digitalbusiness.kz.
A testing period for the platform is expected to start in late March.A Chinese firm, Neptune Logistics, has opened a logistics complex in the city of Alashankou with the aim of decreasing trade transit times, according to a report published by Vesti.az.
The facility includes customs and bonded warehouses, a hazardous goods warehouse, and cold storage capacity, and is situated near a railway junction.Kaspi.kz, Kazakhstan’s fintech giant, has launched a new online service called Wholesale Purchases.
The service is designed to help streamline the process for Kazakhstani entrepreneurs seeking to order goods in bulk from China, according to Bes.Media.Kazakhstan’s government-run Bolashak educational exchange program, which sends high-performing students to study overseas, published a preliminary list of 102 applicants recommended for study in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs at leading universities in China.
The final scholarship decisions will be made by Chinese officials.The scholarships will cover tuition fees, dormitory accommodation, health insurance, and monthly stipends.Elsewhere, 35 students from Kazakhstan’s Kozybayev University have left to study at Northwest Agriculture and ForestryUniversity in Yangling, one of China’s leading agricultural universities, according to Petropavlovsk.news.
Upon completion of the program, the students will receive two diplomas, one from Kazakhstan and one from China.Kyrgyzstan China’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Liu Jiangping, praised the Kyrgyz government’s stance on the issue of minority rights in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.
Rights groups assert that China is conducting a “forever crackdown” on Muslim communities in Xinjiang.Speaking at a March 18 news conference in Bishkek, Liu claimed reports of systematic repression and the use of forced labor in the province were “fabricated” by some countries in the West. “Their main goal is to contain China.
However, more and more people are beginning to realize the true picture,” the Open.kg news outlet quoted Liu as saying. “Human rights pretexts and accusations of forced labor are nothing but manipulations.
Western countries deliberately create such myths and obstacles.” She added that Beijing appreciated Bishkek’s support on the Xinjiang issue, adding that such mutual understanding “is the essence of our strategic partnership.” During the news conference, Liu also revealed that China holds 36 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s foreign debt.
However, her figures contradict official Kyrgyz statistics, according to which China holds only 28 percent of the country’s foreign debt.Her claim lent credence to a report which Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has denied that Kyrgyzstan’s debt is larger than is officially reported.
China’s Dongfang Electric International Corporation (DEC) and Kyrgyzstan’s Chakan Hydroelectric Power Plant OJSC signed an MoU to modernize the renewable energy sector, according to Economist.kg.DEC is already participating in the modernization of the Uch-Kurgan hydroelectric power plant and the second hydroelectric unit at the Kambarata-2 hydroelectric power plant.
The MoU seeks to expand cooperation into the solar- and wind-power sectors.Kyrgyzstan’s trade representative in China and the Chengdu Bureau of Commerce reached an agreement to set up a “Trade House of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Kyrgyz-ChineseCenter for Trade and Economic Cooperation” in the Chinese city of Chengdu, reports Open.kg.
Tajikistan China has agreed to provide over 410 million yuan (about $59 million) to Tajikistan for the construction of four transport interchanges in Dushanbe, the Avesta news agency writes, citing a report by the Tajik Ministry of Finance.
China has previously helped financed new buildings for Tajikistan’s parliament and executive branch, as well as Dushanbe’s city hall, among other projects.Uzbekistan The Chinese automaker BYD is dramatically scaling back its production targets at its joint-venture assembly plant in Uzbekistan.
Back in 2024, officials for the JV, known as BYD Uzbekistan Factory, announced that the plant aimed to manufacture up to 500,000 electric vehicles and hybrids annually by 2027.
But now, the new plan is 200,000 cars by 2030, according to an announcement made the JV’s CEO, Azizbek Mukhitdinov and reported by UzDaily.uz.The reasons for the downsizing of production have not been explained.
Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade, the Andijan Regional Administration and the Chinese company Hainan Xintanbo Investment have signed an agreement covering implementation of four projects in the Andijan region, according to UzDaily.uz.
The projects worth $1.4 billion include the construction of a multifunctional residential complex in New Andijan, an international logistics center in Khanabad, a tourism complex, and engineering, utility, and road infrastructure.
The news report did not specify how the projects will be financed.Uzbekistan’s embassy in Beijing and consulate in Guangzhou organized a business forum in Guangdong Province to pitch investment opportunities in the Syrdarya Free Economic Zone and the IT Park in Tashkent, writes Dunyo.
The report notes that “cooperation agreements in a number of mutually beneficial sectors were signed,” without offering any specifics.A delegation from Uzbekistan’s Navoi region visited northwestern China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region to discuss cooperation in desertification prevention and control.
Navoi is planning to launch an anti-desertification initiative in 2026 using Chinese know-how, reports Xinhua.The Navoi delegation also traveled to Fujian province, where Uzbek officials met with the governor to discuss economic opportunities, according to UzDaily.uz.