China Accelerates Its Economic Push Across Central Asia

Uzbekistan, one of Central Asia’s economic drivers, is experiencing a significant expansion of Chinese economic influence. Bilateral trade during the first half of 2026 grew to $7.7 billion, according to official Uzbek government data, making China by far Uzbekistan’s largest trade partner. Beijing’s official statistics, meanwhile, put the number even higher – at $8.9 billion. Russia, Uzbekistan’s erstwhile overlord, lags far behind with bilateral trade turnover amounting to $5.8 billion. The number of Chinese-Uzbek joint ventures, along with wholly owned Chinese companies, grew to 6,060 during H1 2026, many of them involved in mining, industrial production, energy and other key…