China Accelerates Investment, Trade, and Influence in Central Asia

Chinese entities are making a push to expand joint ventures and corporate takeovers in Central Asia. In Kazakhstan, the mining sector appears to be a focus of Chinese attention. The Zhejiang Mining Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. signed a conditional deal to pay 29.15 billion Kazakh tenge (about $57 million) for Kazakhstan’s JV Alaigyr LLP, which holds mining rights to a major silver and lead field, as well as licenses to explore two more fields. Elsewhere a consortium of Chinese companies announced the purchase for…