The Astana Kuosh Light Rail Project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027

Astana Mayor Jens Hasmubek announced on April 21, 2026 that the light rail project between Astana and Kuosh is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Jens Hasmubek pointed out that the plan is to start construction of another highway entering the city from Chinggis Atmatov Street by the end of 2026.Editor/Yang Meiling

Uzbekistan signs memorandum of understanding with Xi'an Xianyang International Airport

Uzbekistan Airport Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Xi'an Xianyang International Airport in China, reaching an agreement to expand cooperation in passenger and freight transportation and enhance the hub status of both airports. The agreement was signed during the 2026 Asian Airline Development Forum held in Xi'an, China from April 14th to 16th. The statement shows that both sides also agreed to attract more airlines to participate in operations, increase flight schedules, and open new cargo routes, in order to comprehensively enhance the level of aviation connectivity between the two countries.Editor/Cheng Liting

CNOOC and Kazakhstan Oil signed an agreement

In April 2026, CNOOC and Kazakhstan National Oil Corporation signed a cooperation agreement covering drilling, technology transfer, and local industry co construction. China's independent Xuanji system will enter the Kazakhstan market.Editor/Gao Xue

Three standard gauge railways between China and Vietnam will be connected

In April 2026, the Sino Vietnamese Joint Declaration proposed to promote the connection and integration of three standard gauge railways, including Laojie, Hanoi, Haiphong, and others, into the Asia Europe network, and to accelerate the completion of the East Line of the Pan Asian Railway.Editor/Gao Xue

Kazakhstan advances Chinese funded waste to energy projects

On April 22, 2026, Shenzhen Energy and Environment held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and proposed to invest 180 million US dollars to promote the second phase of Astana Ecological Park, which will process 1500 tons of waste per day and generate 50 megawatts of electricity.Editor/Gao Xue

The China Laos 500 kV interconnection project has been officially put into operation

The China Laos 500 kV interconnection project was officially put into operation on the 20th, marking a significant improvement in the power interconnection capacity between the two countries. The total length of the project is 177.5 kilometers, forming a bidirectional mutual aid capacity of 1.5 million kilowatts, and an average annual transmission of 3 billion kilowatt hours of clean electricity.Editor/Cheng Liting

Eni secures major gas field offshore Indonesia

On April 20, 2026, Italy's Eni Group discovered about 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas offshore East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Sinopec holds an 18% stake in the block.Editor/Gao Xue

China Turkey Oil and Gas University will jointly build a training center

In April 2026, Turkmenistan International University of Petroleum and Natural Gas and China University of Petroleum reached an agreement to jointly establish an energy training center, planning to carry out teacher training and student summer internships.Editor/Gao Xue

Henan International undertakes Mozambique water supply project

The water supply project undertaken by Henan International Group in the suburbs of Maputo has benefited nearly 72000 residents, with a daily added water supply capacity of about 30000 cubic meters.Editor/Gao Xue

CNOOC and Kazakhstan Oil and Gas signed a cooperation agreement

On April 14, 2026, CNOOC and KMG Drilling Company, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan National Oil Corporation, signed a framework agreement focusing on drilling operations, technology transfer, and talent training, deepening cooperation in Central Asian oilfield services.Editor/Gao Xue

Malaysia's East Rail completes full track laying

In April 2026, the 519 kilometer track laying of the Kota Bharu to Gombak section of the Malaysia East Coast Railway, designed and constructed by Chinese enterprises, was completed ahead of schedule, and the project entered the system debugging phase.Editor/Gao Xue

Chongqing made new energy vehicles borrow land sea new channel to go abroad

On April 15, 2026, the China Laos cross-border new energy vehicle special train departed from Tuanjie Village in Chongqing and went directly to Vientiane in five days. In the first two months of this year, Chongqing's automobile exports surged by nearly 90% year-on-year.Editor/Gao Xue

Tanzanian media highly praises the cooperation between Tanzania and Zambia railways

In April 2026, the ruling party newspaper of Tanzania highly praised the historical significance of the China Africa Tanzania Zambia railway cooperation, stating that the $1.4 billion activation project would revitalize the vitality of the East African trade corridor.Editor/Gao Xue

Tajikistan and Ukraine launch cooperation project

Recently, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have launched 12 cooperation projects simultaneously, with a total investment of over 1.6 billion US dollars, covering fields such as home appliances, textiles, food, and pharmaceuticals.Editor/Gao Xue

Mongolia's coal exports surged by 57% in the first quarter

According to the statistics of the Mongolian customs agency, the coal export volume in the first quarter of 2026 reached 27.5319 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 57.0%. Among them, the export of hard coal was 26.3409 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 66.8%; Lignite exports amounted to 1.191 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 31.4%. In March, exports amounted to 11.0607 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 84.1% and a month on month increase of 74.2%. The export of hard coal was 10.5164 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 85.3% and a month on month increase of 71.7%; Lignite exports reached 544300 tons, a year-on-year increase of 18.8% and a month on month surge of 141.2%. Editor/Cheng Liting

TikTok invests $125 million to deeply cultivate e-commerce in Vietnam

TikTok recently invested $125 million in Ho Chi Minh City to focus on improving its logistics, payment, and digital commerce systems, aiming to address pain points such as low fulfillment efficiency and complex COD management in Vietnamese e-commerce. Against the backdrop of Vietnam's e-commerce scale reaching 32 billion US dollars and dominated by Shopee and TikTok, the new E-commerce Law plans to introduce strict regulations, extending supervision to live streaming e-commerce content and seller qualifications. Cross border sellers face higher thresholds for local registration and data compliance, and the platform's responsibility boundaries are further clarified.Editor/Cheng Liting

Azerbaijan will participate in the Beijing Service Trade Fair

On April 3, 2026, the Azerbaijan Export Investment Agency and the Chinese side held talks in Baku and confirmed that local enterprises will form groups to participate in the September Beijing Service Trade Fair and discuss employee training in China.Editor/Gao Xue

Egypt upgrades industrial infrastructure, attracting Chinese enterprises

In April 2026, Egypt launched the upgrading plan for the four links in the Upper Egypt Industrial Park, prioritizing the improvement of water, electricity, and road facilities, and introducing private capital to participate in operations, providing a new window for Chinese manufacturing enterprises to go global.Editor/Gao Xue

The Shenzhen Uzbekistan Tashkent route sets sail

Shenzhen Airport has officially opened the Shenzhen Tashkent route, which is the first international route and the first direct passenger route to Central Asia this year. Uzbekistan Airlines operates one flight per week, connecting the Greater Bay Area with the core hub of Central Asia. The route deepens China Uzbekistan economic and trade cooperation, helps Shenzhen Airport build the the Belt and Road aviation network (42 cities have been opened to traffic), and provides support for building an international aviation hub and a modern metropolis. Editor/Cheng Liting

Kazakhstan's oil and gas facilities operate smoothly

The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan stated that international oil and gas cooperation facilities within the country are operating normally, and all parties are working together to assess the situation and ensure the continuous, stable, and smooth operation of pipeline transportation.Editor/Gao Xue

Vietnamese Communist Party President Surin will visit China

On April 9, 2026, Hu Zhaoming, spokesperson for the Foreign Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, announced that at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President Sulin will pay a state visit to China from April 14 to 17.Editor/Gong Ziwei

Iraq announces reopening of airspace

With the implementation of the US Iraq ceasefire agreement, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announced the reopening of airspace from today onwards. The busiest Erbil International Airport has completed technical preparations and is in the final coordination stage of resuming operations. The airport director revealed that all departments are in place, flight schedules are about to be confirmed, and passenger and cargo services to and from multiple countries are expected to resume quickly. Editor/Cheng Liting

US Iran ceasefire, Iranian missiles fired at Israel

According to CCTV International News, the Israeli military announced early this morning (April 8th) that it had detected the latest round of Iranian missile attacks. On the early morning of April 8th local time, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia issued emergency security warnings, with some countries sounding air defense alerts. It was reported that their air defense systems were intercepting hostile targets in the air, and residents were required to remain highly vigilant and stay indoors. Editor/Cheng Liting

Iraq US ceasefire

On the early morning of the 8th local time, it was reported that Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had invited Iranian and American delegations to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, for negotiations. Shahbaz Sharif also stated that the ceasefire between Iran and the United States will take effect at 3:30 am Iran time on the 8th (8:00 am Beijing time on the 8th).Editor/Cheng Liting

The first amino acid base in Central Asia has been built in Kazakhstan

China Fufeng Group Shengtai Biotechnology is constructing the largest amino acid production project in Central Asia in the Jiangbu'er Oblast of Kazakhstan, with a total investment of 1.5 billion US dollars, and settling in the Silk Road Economic Zone. The first phase of the project has been completed, achieving a breakthrough in the production technology of essential amino acids in Central Asia. After reaching production capacity, the annual processing of corn is 3 million tons, providing more than a thousand job opportunities, and the products are exported to many countries. This project relies on local corn resources to fill the technological gap of high value-added products, help upgrade the manufacturing industry in Kazakhstan, create a cross-border industrial chain, and become a landmark project for China Kazakhstan capacity cooperation.Editor/Gong Ziwei

POWERCHINA INTL holds cooperation talks with Shengyu Group

Recently, Tang Yuhua, Chairman of POWERCHINA INTL, met with Singapore's Shengyu Group CEO Qiao Quansheng and his delegation to exchange ideas on global cooperation in the fields of energy, electricity, and infrastructure. Tang Yuhua introduced the company's international business and the "15th Five Year Plan", affirmed the other party's advantages, and hoped to deepen cooperation to achieve win-win results. Qiao Quansheng expressed the importance of strategic cooperation between the two sides, and is willing to leverage the advantages of planning, design, and project management to expand cooperation in energy, water, transportation, and other fields, and jointly promote global infrastructure construction.Editor/Gong Ziwei

Uzbekistan's target chemical industry exports 720 million US dollars annually

Uzbekistan plans to increase the export value of chemical products to 720 million US dollars by 2026 and expand fertilizer production to meet agricultural demand. In the same year, the plan was to attract $2.5 billion in investment through 133 projects, with a total investment scale of $9.5 billion, including $1.3 billion for 24 strategic projects and the construction of 7 new production facilities. The meeting reviewed the progress of key projects such as soda ash, fertilizers, and potassium fertilizers, and requested to accelerate the promotion of lagging projects to ensure timely completion and production.Editor/Gong Ziwei

MOL Group builds 40MWh battery energy storage system in Hungary

Recently, MOL Group announced that it has successfully built a 40MWh battery energy storage system in the MOL petrochemical plant in Tissa'uyvaros, Hungary. The project is located next to the end-user factory and is currently the largest battery energy storage facility in eastern Hungary. The operation of this system will directly serve the power consumption of the factory area, significantly improving energy efficiency and operational economy.Editor/Yang Meiling

Sulin elected as President of Vietnam

On April 7, 2026, at the 16th National Assembly of Vietnam, Sulin was elected as the President of Vietnam. Sulin, born in July 1957 in the northern province of Xing'an, Vietnam, has been serving in the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security for a long time. From April 2016 to May 2024, Su Lin served as the Minister of Public Security. In May 2024, Su Lin was elected as the President of the country. In August 2024, Su Lim was elected as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and will no longer serve as the President of the country in October 2024.Editor/Cheng Liting

China and Kazakhstan jointly build a new landmark for green energy in Central Asia

The 1GW wind power+600MWh energy storage project in Pavlodar Oblast, Kazakhstan has officially started, with a total investment of about 1.2 billion US dollars, and is planned to be put into operation in 2029. The project is jointly constructed by Samruk Energy Company and State Power Investment Corporation, with an estimated annual power generation of 3.4 billion kilowatt hours and an annual reduction of 2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.Editor/Gao Xue