Albina Muratbekova

March 12, 2025

China’s AI Surge: Exploring the Context

The launch of the new Chinese open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model by DeepSeek in late January has created a stir in the global IT community and among political circles. It marked significant changes in the distribution of power and technology globally. US President Donald Trump even said that DeepSeek “should […]

January 19, 2025

Kazakhstan as India’s Outbound Tourism Destination

According to the MakeMyTrip platforms report, Almaty as an international travel destination among Indian globetrotters is experiencing phenomenal interest, growing to 527% in searches during the period between June 2023 and May 2024 [MakeMyTrip, 2024]. The other platforms’ reports’ such as Agoda and Booking.com also revealed growing interest in Kazakhstan, […]

December 19, 2024

Evaluating the 2024 BRICS Summit Outcomes

The sixteenth annual BRICS summit took place in Kazan, Russia from October 22-24, 2024. The summit’s key takeaway was that the group, originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, met for the first time after admitting four new members on January 1, 2024—Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the […]

October 20, 2024

Key Insights from the Sixth Consultative Meeting in Astana

The 6th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States took place in Astana on 9 August 2024. President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan, and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan attended the event under the chairmanship of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the […]

July 19, 2024

Malaysia’s New Horizons in Central Asia

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim made his Central Asian tour to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan from 15 to 19 May 2024 to enhance cooperation opportunities. He was followed by a large delegation consisting of Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hassan; Minister of […]

May 21, 2024

Perspectives of Central Asia for Indian Students

April, 2024 As the world’s most populous country with rapidly increasing economic and social wealth, India has established itself as the global leader in providing international students. It is now competing with China to become the major source of international students worldwide. India’s outmigration in search of education hit new […]

March 9, 2024

Expanding China’s Education Diplomacy in Central Asia

February, 2024 With the post-pandemic resurgence of diplomatic activities, China has been strengthening its education diplomacy. In Central Asia, where China is an established strategic partner, its efforts to widen educational cooperation have been gaining new impetus. In late December 2023, China’s Vice Minister of Education, Sun Yao, visited Kazakhstan, […]

January 9, 2024

The Growing Importance of Xinjiang in Kazakhstan-China Relations

On October 18, 2023, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Urumqi and met with Ma Xingrui, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Prior to that, in May 2023, Kazakh Minister of Agriculture […]

November 7, 2023

Expanding Brics and G20: New Features of the Multipolar World?

December, 2023 The outcomes of the last annual BRICS summit in Johannesburg and the G20 summit in New Delhi sparked extensive debates on the world’s apparent shift towards multipolarity due to their enlargement. The transformation from the BRICS to the BRICS+ and the inclusion of the African Union in the […]

September 7, 2023

People as a Power: India’s Demographic Challenges

October, 2023 According to the projections of the UN, India officially surpassed China as the most populous country in the world. By reaching 1.425.775.850 people in 2023, India broke a historical milestone in its development [UN, 2022; Ellis-Petersen, 2023]. For India, the status of the most populous country in the […]