Advertisement China’s Premier Li Qiang is visiting Kyrgyzstan later this month to discuss the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway, a sign that the project, which has been discussed for decades, may finally be realized. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions on Russia have created an appetite for alternative routes from China to Europe and the Middle … Read more
Advertisement Over the past 30 years, Central Asia’s geopolitical landscape has been characterized by an increasingly stable and modified Chinese presence. Alongside investments and grants, China has been generous in issuing credits and loans, accumulating into what some see as a possible “debt trap” for regional governments. The debt trap issue has become sensitive and … Read more
Advertisement On August 1, amid a hot summer and the looming shadow of another winter to come, a decree signed by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov last week declaring a three-year energy emergency went into effect. The government deemed urgent measures necessary to “bring the Kyrgyz Republic out of the energy crisis associated with climate challenges, … Read more
Advertisement Democratic countries throughout the world are concerned with the rise of China and Beijing’s alleged efforts to export authoritarian values that suppress free speech and criticism of human rights abuses. Kyrgyzstan, formerly often referred to as an “island of democracy” in the region situated between China and Russia, has now found itself sinking in … Read more