martedì 23 ottobre 2018

Dispatches from the Silk Road Economic Belt



A new China-Europe freight train line was launched Tuesday, linking Delingha, northwest China's Qinghai Province, with Russia. 
The first train, loaded with chemical containers, will leave China through the Alataw Pass in Xinjiang and pass through Kazakhstan before reaching Barnaul in Russia. (xinhua)

Chinese premier calls for more pragmatic cooperation with Tajikistan
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on 10 October called on China and Tajikistan to continue to consolidate mutual political trust, promote pragmatic cooperation and safeguard regional peace and stability. Li made the remarks in a signed article for a Tajik newspaper prior to his official visit to Tajikistan and attendance at the 17th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Xinhua

India, China launch joint training for Afghanistan, plan more projects
China’s ambassador to India said the joint training of 10 Afghan diplomats at the Indian Foreign Service Institute was the first step in China-India-Afghanistan cooperation that was agreed at a summit between President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this year. (Reuters)

China in Afghanistan: A Reluctant Leader with Growing Stakes
A piece from late last week as part of a short dossier ahead of the Afghan election done for a new outlet of an excellent Italian think tank called Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale (ISPI). My contribution focused on China’s role in Afghanistan, a common theme which there should be more work on later in the year.

Pakistan, IMF to Discuss Bailout Terms
The International Monetary Fund’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, said a team will soon visit Islamabad to discuss a new financial assistance package for Pakistan, reportedly up to $8 billion. Pakistan has received more than a dozen financial support packages (Dawn) from the IMF, including a $6.4 billion bailout that concluded in 2016.

Greater transparency is needed to dispel Xinjiang concerns
Like any nation, China is obligated to respond proactively to extremism and terrorism in the autonomous region. Just as essential is being more open to foreign journalists and rights groups (scmp)

CENTRAL ASIA 

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris this
week. Mirziyoyev, who has promoted gradual reforms in his long isolated country, reportedly signed partnership agreements (AP) with French energy firms during the trip.

Putin, Mirziyoyev launch project for Uzbekistan’s first nuclear plant
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev on October 19 pressed a symbolic button together to launch a project to build Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant. Given that the Soviet-era nuclear plant in Kazakhstan was decommissioned in 2001 and is unlikely to be restored to operation, the facility is likely to be Central Asia's first new-era nuclear plant. (intellinews)

Turkmenistan profile - Media

The Turkmen government has an absolute monopoly of the media. The authorities monitor media outlets, control printing presses, block websites, monitor internet use and lay down editorial policies.
Reporters Without Borders has called Turkmenistan "an ever-expanding news black hole". (bbc)

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