Is this the Asian century in higher education? On the numbers alone, it may well be. More than half of the world’s university students are already in Asia, and that share is set to grow as ageing industrialised democracies give way demographically to younger populations in countries such as India, Indonesia, and across Central Asia.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met on July 16 in Shanghai, where Tokayev arrived to attend the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance. During the meeting, Xi said that the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained strong momentum, demonstrating enormous potential for cooperation and
On July 16, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov held a meeting with representatives of the Austrian dairy cooperative Berglandmilch and the Greek company Desserta Hellas. The parties discussed prospects for establishing dairy production in Kazakhstan. The project is being developed within the framework of the Kazakhstan-Greece bilateral investment agenda. Various implementation models are
As part of a working visit to Kyrgyzstan, Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Akkulov held meetings with the management of Kyrgyzstan’s Asman Airlines and Aero Nomad Airlines. The parties explored opportunities to expand air connectivity between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, develop joint tourism products, and increase the flow of tourists between the two countries,
Freight traffic between Kazakhstan and China reached 18.7 million tons in the first half of 2026, an increase of 9% compared to the same period last year, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Transport. Growth was observed in both directions. Seven million tons of freight were transported from China to Kazakhstan in the first six
On July 15, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev listened to reports on the implementation of agreements reached during his visit to Belarus to expand cooperation between regions of both countries. During Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Belarus on July 8-9, agreements were reached to increase mutual trade to $2 billion, as well as to implement 310 joint projects
Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Akkulov held a meeting with Eduard Kubatov, Director of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Kyrgyzstan to discuss further strengthening of bilateral cooperation in tourism, increasing mutual tourist flows, developing new joint tourism products and cross-border travel routes, and creating additional economic opportunities for the regions
A delegation of Turkmenistan is participating in the events of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry.
On July 14, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received an Italian delegation led by Eugenio Giani, Governor of the Tuscany region, who is in Uzbekistan on a working visit. The parties discussed the further development of the Uzbek-Italian strategic partnership, primarily in the trade, economic, investment, and cultural-humanitarian spheres. Particular attention was paid to expanding
The Central Bank of Uzbekistan published a financial stability review for 2025, which shows an increase in household debt: more than half of citizens who took out loans during the year have two or more outstanding debts, Tashkent Today reported. The share of borrowers with multiple loans to banks and microfinance organizations (MFOs) increased from
Negotiations were held in Beijing between the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on expanding cooperation in civil aviation. The parties agreed to increase the number of regular passenger flights for air carriers of both countries from 124 to 152 per week. The
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Civil Defence and Rescue Operations Directorate under the Ministry of Defence of Turkmenistan, has launched the national component of the regional project Strengthening the System for Region-wide Disaster Risk Reduction in Central Asia. Funded by the Government of Japan, the initiative is being implemented across all
The Jizzakh Open Air–2026 International Tourism Festival was held on June 27–28 on the shores of Lake Aydarkul, one of the most picturesque natural attractions in the Jizzakh Region of Uzbekistan, according to the country’s Tourism Committee. The prestigious event was jointly organized by the Jizzakh Regional Administration, the Tourism Committee, the Ministry of Culture,
On July 13, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev officially launched a new casting and rolling complex at the Uzbek Metallurgical Plant in the city of Bekabad. The new casting and rolling complex will go down in history as Uzbekistan’s first facility for the production of hot-rolled steel sheets. Once fully operational, the complex will produce 1 million
The KTZE – Khorgos Gateway dry port at the Kazakh-Chinese border has expanded its cargo handling capacity following the commissioning of nine 1520 mm gauge sorting tracks and an uncoupling repair facility. The new infrastructure, launched in September 2025, raised the terminal’s transshipment capacity from 540,000 to 800,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per year, marking
Central Asia has a complex risk profile, and earthquakes are among the most prominent hazards. Tajikistan is no exception, with the 1949 Khait and the 1989 Gissar earthquakes illustrating the country’s high seismic exposure, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Tajikistan. On July 13, UNDP and the Executive Body of State Authority of
This year, the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan is bringing that history to life. In celebration of this milestone, the U.S. Embassy organized a series of Founders Museum exhibitions and related programs across Turkmenistan. Across all five regions of Turkmenistan,
We are living through a profound shift in the relationship between education and work — and nowhere is that shift more consequential than in Central Asia. Artificial intelligence is not coming to education. It is already here. It is in the assignments students submit, the tools employers use to screen candidates, and increasingly in the
A ceremony for signing a BOT agreement (Build-Operate-Transfer) on the transfer of a land plot in the port of Shahid Rajaee (Bandar Abbas) for the construction of a Kazakh transport and logistics terminal was held at the Ports and Maritime Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration. On the Kazakh
The Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan has adopted the Resolution of July 8, 2026, “On Supporting the Broad Implementation of a System to Enhance the Tourism Attractiveness of the Republic of Uzbekistan Through Cinema.” The resolution introduces two major initiatives aimed at strengthening the country’s tourism appeal through the film industry, according to the Tourism