China’s Quiet Pivot to Central Asian Gas
May 27th, 2026
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a report on China’s pivot to Central Asian gas: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on May 20 with a delegation built for a deal: five deputy prime ministers, eight Cabinet ministers, and the chiefs of Gazprom and Rosneft. He left two days later with declarations of friendship, a visa-free […]
Read more »The Politics of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway
March 26th, 2026
Via The Diplomat, a look at the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway: In late March 2026, during the celebration of the Central Asian new year, Nawruz, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov announced the latest target for the completion of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway: 2030. “If now we live in a ‘dead-end’ country between Europe and China, with the completion of the construction of […]
Read more »‘Big Beautiful Belt’ of US-Aligned States Takes Form Across Eurasia
February 18th, 2026
Via Nikkei Asia, a look at the growing number of middle powers seeking closer ties to Trump: A belt of U.S.-aligned states is taking shape across Eurasia, and President Donald Trump will bring many of its members to Washington on Thursday for the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace. A bulk of the board’s […]
Read more »How China and the Gulf States are Shaping Central Asia’s Energy Transition
December 31st, 2025
Via East Asia Forum, an article on how China and the Gulf states are shaping Central Asia’s energy transition: China and the Gulf states are expanding renewable energy investment in Central Asia. Through complementary competition, they vie for influence while occupying distinct and often mutually supportive roles in clean energy projects, particularly in Kazakhstan and […]
Read more »Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan Are Forming a Transport and Transit Tandem
November 18th, 2025
Via The Diplomat, a look at how Tashkent’s transport strategy places great importance on cooperation with Turkmenistan, which has high transit potential due to its convenient location: Turkmenistan connects the states of Central Asia with Iran and the vast Middle Eastern region, thus providing access to the warm southern seas. The launch of the Tejen-Serakhs-Mashhad railway line […]
Read more »What Are China and Central Asia’s Shared Interests in Afghanistan?
September 17th, 2025
Via The Diplomat, a report on how – as neighbors to Afghanistan – both China and the Central Asian states have vested interests in the country, desiring a peaceful, prosperous, and stable Afghanistan: Afghanistan is often referred to as the “Heart of Asia” because of its strategic location at the crossroads of Central and South […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.