Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are the two largest countries in Central Asia, closely connected by economic, political, and cultural ties. Their shared border, spanning over 2,300 km, plays a crucial role in trade and the movement of people. In 2025, significant changes were introduced at kazakh-uzbek border checkpoints to improve capacity and streamline border-crossing procedures.

In 2025, Uzbekistan is expected to undergo numerous political, economic, and social changes. As part of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiatives, a range of reforms and innovations will be implemented in the country. These changes aim not only to improve the internal situation in Uzbekistan but also to enhance the country’s international image. Let’s review the major changes and initiatives expected in 2025.

Luban Workshops serve as an example of how China uses soft power to strengthen ties with its BRI partners. Through these projects, China offers not just training, but an institutionalized model of cooperation that includes academic exchange, technology transfer, and cultural communication. In Central Asia, the workshops are tailored to national priorities—ranging from transport logistics to energy and digital technologies. They equip students and professionals with up-to-date knowledge and skills, contributing to local economic development and strengthening bilateral ties between China and the region. The successful implementation of the model in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan demonstrates the growing appeal of the Chinese approach to vocational education and its role in shaping a new educational space across Eurasia. Thus, the workshops serve not only as educational platforms but also as tools of soft power, reinforcing the structural dependence of the region on China’s techno-economic model. In the context of competition among external actors in Central Asia (Russia, the EU, Turkey, the USA), China’s educational diplomacy is gaining increasing importance in its long-term strategy for sustainable presence in the region.

The long-awaited plan to build the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railroad is finally being realized. On June 6, 2024, representatives of the three countries signed an agreement in Beijing, which marked the beginning of the implementation of a major transport project. Obviously, the parties have their own interests in the realization of this railroad. For China it is transit, trade and a pilot free trade zone in Xinjiang, a new railway line to Kyrgyzstan and revenues from transit, and for Uzbekistan it is the development of new markets through the railroad.