China and Kazakhstan intensify nuclear ties

The chairman of Kazakhstan’s Atomic Energy Agency, Almassadam Satkaliyev, is on an extended tour of nuclear-power facilities in China, gaining insight into PRC management techniques covering the entire development cycle, from design to construction to the operation of such entities. Satkaliyev has visited a wide range of sites, from the Tianwan nuclear plant, which is fully operational, and the Xuwei nuclear facility, currently under construction, to uranium mining and fuel production sites and research and training entities. He has also met with Chinese government officials and top executives of major nuclear companies. Satkaliyev’s tour occurred shortly after a visit to Kazakhstan by the head of China’s National Energy Administration, Wang Hongzhi. During that visit, the two countries signed a protocol defining future cooperation in the nuclear energy sphere. In 2025, Kazakhstan selected China’s National Nuclear Corp to build two large-scale reactors in the Central Asian nation. The reciprocal visits of top nuclear energy officials indicate that bilateral cooperation is intensifying.

Middle Corridor

While Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Transport reports that construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway is moving ahead, regional governments are planning around the CKU project. Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, for example, have agreed to establish a joint logistics centre near the port of Baku and plan to launch a joint Caspian fleet to expedite freight movement along the Middle Corridor. Uzbekistan’s Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, Khurram Teshabayev, explicitly linked the projects to the future CKU railway, arguing that it will become an increasingly important component of Eurasian supply chains. 

During a recent visit to Georgia, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev lauded the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, which recently underwent modernisation. He proposed exploring its integration with the CKU. Uzbek officials have also expressed general interest in participating in the construction of a deep-water port on the Black Sea at Anaklia, linking the project to the CKU and the Middle Corridor.

Energy

Kyrgyzstan wants to diversify its fuel imports as disruptions in Russia threaten supplies. China has emerged as a potential supplier.

The PRC has agreed to supply 3,000 tonnes of jet fuel, while negotiations are underway for an additional 5,000 tonnes of diesel fuel, 24.kg reports, citing the Kyrgyz first deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers. Deliveries are expected to begin by the end of July. 

Tajikistan is also looking to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies and, with Chinese assistance, is actively exploring for oil and gas fields. China’s energy giant, CNPC, has already completed extensive gravity, magnetic, and geophysical surveys of potential Tajik energy reserves, with seismic exploration nearing completion. Those tests will determine the most promising locations for exploratory drilling, Ilkhom Oymukhammadzoda, who leads the Tajik government’s Main Geology Department, recently announced.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s low-cost airline, FlyArystan, has launched direct flights between Aktau and Urumqi in China’s western Xinjiang Province, adding a civilian aviation dimension to rapidly expanding Kazakh-Chinese connectivity that has, to date, focused on expanding rail freight and cross-border trade, reports DKNews.kz. 

China’s economic engagement is also extending into manufacturing. The Kazakh automotive company Allur recently signed a strategic partnership with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Li Auto to begin vehicle production in Kazakhstan.

Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev met executives from Hong Kong-based companies Towngas and Full Vision Capital to discuss investments in renewable energy, sustainable aviation fuel, energy storage, agricultural processing and smart energy systems. The proposed projects would be developed in Alatau City, which Kazakh officials bill as a strategic project to create a regional IT hub, writes Tengri News.

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University hosted the launch of the first-ever “Flying Hospital” mission under the Air Silk Road of Health initiative. The project, implemented jointly with Shanghai’s Fudan University Eye and ENT Hospital, combines mobile medical services with expanded cooperation in medical education, scientific research and healthcare workforce training, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Tajikistan

The range of Tajik agricultural products authorised for the Chinese market is expanding. Tajikistan will start to export chicken feet and combs, along with fresh apricots, plums and melons, to China under a newly signed agreement between Tajikistan’s Committee for Food Security and China’s General Administration of Customs, Asia-Plus reports. 

Tajikistan’s Ministry of Finance and China’s International Development Cooperation Agency signed an MoU on development cooperation covering infrastructure, energy, and other priority projects, according to the Tajik state news agency Khovar.

Turkmenistan

Professors of Turkmenistan’s Yagshygeldi Kakayev International Oil and Gas University visited China to participate in a professional development programme at Xi’an Petroleum University and Hebei Petroleum Vocational and Technical University. In addition, students from the same Turkmen university are currently in China for practical training at China University of Petroleum in Beijing.

This report first appeared on Eurasianet here.